What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peabody has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.3%).

Pomfret has the most people working from home (30.3%).

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	Pomfret
People
Population	54,695Highest	908Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±2.4Lowest 16% above U.S.	53.4±12.1Highest 37% above U.S.
	Pomfret 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 U.S.: 22%	15.4%±6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Peabody and Pomfret are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.5%±6.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pomfret and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	58%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,657±$4kHighest 20% above U.S.	$84,229±$8kLowest 4% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$596,200±$12kHighest 79% above U.S.	$399,200±$144kLowest 20% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,950±$99Highest 38% above U.S.	$1,170±$98Lowest 17% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,065Lowest 62% above U.S.	$6,722Highest 116% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24%±22.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	10.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.3%±10.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#228 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Peabody	Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76
High school in town	Peabody Veterans Memorial High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3	—
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.