What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westminster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.9%).

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	Westminster
People
Population	54,695Highest	8,374Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±2.4Lowest 13% above MA	48.3±4.6Highest 21% above MA
	Westminster and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.3%±4.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Westminster and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.3%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	26%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Westminster 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 MA: 47.3%	45.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	1.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,657±$4kLowest 7% below MA	$106,331±$22kHighest about the MA average
	Westminster 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	$422,000±$36kLowest 25% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,950±$99Highest 11% above MA	$1,843±$268Lowest 5% above MA
	Peabody and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,065Highest 15% below MA	$4,973Lowest 17% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±5.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	60%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Westminster and Peabody 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%	2.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA	1977Highest 13 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 11% below MA	27 minHighest 7% below MA
Work from home	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%
	Westminster and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#228 of 282 in MA	#112 of 282 in MA
School district	Peabody	Ashburnham-Westminster
High school in town	Peabody Veterans Memorial High	Oakmont Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	13.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.