What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peabody has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Stoughton has the most people working from home (15.4%).

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	Stoughton
People
Population	54,695Highest	29,225Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±2.4Lowest 13% above MA	45.7±1.9Highest 14% above MA
	Stoughton 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%	18.5%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Peabody and Stoughton 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%	20.8%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Peabody and Stoughton 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%	41.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.1%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Stoughton 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	$104,794±$6kHighest about the MA average
	Stoughton and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$596,200±$12kHighest 6% above MA	$523,800±$28kLowest 7% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,950±$99Lowest 11% above MA	$2,050±$200Highest 16% above MA
	Stoughton and Peabody 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	$6,215Highest 4% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±5.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.4%±7.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Stoughton and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest MA: 10%	8.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	74.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 11% below MA	33 minHighest 15% above MA
Work from home	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	15.4%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#228 of 282 in MA	#196 of 282 in MA
School district	Peabody	Stoughton
High school in town	Peabody Veterans Memorial High	Stoughton High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	10.8Highest
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.