What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rowley has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Swampscott has the most people working from home (27.2%).

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	Rowley	Swampscott
People
Population	1,708Lowest	15,277Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.3±16.7Highest 16% above MA	44.5±3.5Lowest 11% above MA
	Rowley and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±6.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Rowley and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.4%±5.8Highest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Rowley and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,622±$17kLowest 5% above MA	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA
	Swampscott and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$614,800±$39kLowest 9% above MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,663±$674Lowest 6% below MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
	Swampscott and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,865Lowest 15% above MA	$7,936Highest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.3%±45.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.1%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	10.9%±5.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#214 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Swampscott
High school in town	—	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.7
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.