What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northborough has the most affordable homes ($620k median).

Swampscott has the most expensive homes ($771k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Northborough	Swampscott
People
Population	15,750Highest	15,277Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45±3Highest 13% above MA	44.5±3.5Lowest 11% above MA
	Northborough and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northborough and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northborough and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,199±$19kHighest 47% above MA	$134,386±$23kLowest 29% above MA
	Northborough and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$620,000±$24kLowest 10% above MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,919±$269Lowest 9% above MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
	Swampscott and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,983Highest 33% above MA	$7,936Lowest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.1%±16.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 7% above MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	22.5%±5.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#35 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Northborough · Northboro-Southboro	Swampscott
High school in town	Algonquin Regional High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	11.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.