What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the most affordable homes ($473k median).

Marblehead has the most people working from home (34%).

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	Salem	Marblehead
People
Population	30,964Highest	20,413Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.7Lowest 15% above U.S.	49.1±2Highest 26% above U.S.
	Marblehead and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Marblehead and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	78.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Salem and Marblehead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,490±$9kLowest 37% above U.S.	$182,132±$28kHighest 126% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,300±$16kLowest 42% above U.S.	$943,900±$31kHighest 184% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,625±$146Lowest 15% above U.S.	$1,764±$147Highest 25% above U.S.
	Marblehead and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,992Lowest 124% above U.S.	$8,309Highest 166% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49.5%±8.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Marblehead and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	16.3%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	34%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#38 of 120 in NH	#47 of 282 in MA
School district	Salem School District	Marblehead
High school in town	Salem High School	Marblehead High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

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.