What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peabody has the most kids (18.7% under 18).

Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).

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	Meredith
People
Population	54,695Highest	6,758Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±2.4Lowest 16% above U.S.	55.5±3.7Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%	12.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	24.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Peabody and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,657±$4kHighest 20% above U.S.	$87,019±$19kLowest 8% above U.S.
	Peabody and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$596,200±$12kHighest 79% above U.S.	$480,100±$48kLowest 44% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,950±$99Highest 38% above U.S.	$1,149±$304Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,065Highest 62% above U.S.	$5,006Lowest 61% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.5%±9.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Peabody and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7% U.S.: 12.5%	7.7% U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#228 of 282 in MA	#62 of 120 in NH
School district	Peabody	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District
High school in town	Peabody Veterans Memorial High	Inter-Lakes High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.