What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Douglas has the most people working from home (20.9%).

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	Douglas
People
Population	54,695Highest	9,207Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±2.4Highest 13% above MA	44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA
	Peabody and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Peabody 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%	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest MA: 47.3%	41.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas 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	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$596,200±$12kHighest 6% above MA	$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,950±$99Highest 11% above MA	$1,503±$697Lowest 15% below MA
	Peabody and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,065Lowest 15% below MA	$6,338Highest 6% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest MA: 10%	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 11% below MA	34 minHighest 16% above MA
Work from home	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#228 of 282 in MA	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Peabody	Douglas
High school in town	Peabody Veterans Memorial High	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Highest	7.2Lowest
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.