What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rowley has the most affordable homes ($667k median).

Topsfield has the most people working from home (29.4%).

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	Rowley	Topsfield
People
Population	6,251Lowest	6,564Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	50±6.3Highest 25% above MA	42.2±1.8Lowest 6% above MA
	Rowley and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.8%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Topsfield and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.4%±3.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Topsfield and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	71.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Rowley and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$132,734±$32kLowest 28% above MA	$195,718±$16kHighest 88% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$667,300±$52kLowest 19% above MA	$853,400±$40kHighest 52% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,603±$520Highest 9% below MA	$1,115±$538Lowest 37% below MA
	Rowley and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,309Lowest 39% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±40.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Rowley and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%	7.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	90.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA	1969Lowest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 3% below MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	11.1%±4Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.4%±8.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#214 of 282 in MA	#172 of 282 in MA
School district	Triton	Topsfield
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.