What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peabody has the most affordable homes ($596k median).

Burlington has the most people working from home (22.5%).

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	Peabody	Burlington
People
Population	54,695Highest	26,274Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±2.4Lowest 13% above MA	45.9±2.2Highest 15% above MA
	Burlington and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%	17.1%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Peabody and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.3%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%	21.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Peabody and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest MA: 47.3%	58.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Burlington and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,657±$4kLowest 7% below MA	$146,436±$14kHighest 41% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$596,200±$12kLowest 6% above MA	$740,600±$35kHighest 32% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,950±$99Lowest 11% above MA	$2,718±$368Highest 54% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,065Lowest 15% below MA	$6,165Highest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%	50.4%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Peabody and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest MA: 10%	5.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	74.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 11% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.5%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#228 of 282 in MA	#83 of 282 in MA
School district	Peabody	Burlington
High school in town	Peabody Veterans Memorial High	Burlington High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.3Highest
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.