What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windsor has the most affordable homes ($208k median).

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	Windsor
People
Population	54,695Highest	3,554Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±2.4Highest 16% above U.S.	44.8±6.5Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Peabody and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windsor 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 U.S.: 17.2%	29.7%±6.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windsor 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%	39.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.7%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,657±$4kHighest 20% above U.S.	$52,484±$11kLowest 35% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$596,200±$12kHighest 79% above U.S.	$207,500±$31kLowest 38% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,950±$99Highest 38% above U.S.	$1,026±$89Lowest 27% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,065Lowest 62% above U.S.	$5,209Highest 67% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	31.5%±17Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	57.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	10.3%±1.6 U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±5 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#228 of 282 in MA	#61 of 70 in VT
School district	Peabody	—
High school in town	Peabody Veterans Memorial High	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.