What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shirley has the most affordable homes ($428k median).

Topsfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

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	Shirley	Topsfield
People
Population	6,976Highest	6,564Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±3.4Highest 11% above MA	42.2±1.8Lowest 6% above MA
	Shirley and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±4.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.8%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Topsfield and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±5.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.4%±3.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Topsfield and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	71.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Shirley and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,365±$16kLowest 18% above MA	$195,718±$16kHighest 88% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,600±$36kLowest 24% below MA	$853,400±$40kHighest 52% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,481±$421Highest 16% below MA	$1,115±$538Lowest 37% below MA
	Shirley and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,156Lowest 14% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±21.8Highest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±40.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Shirley and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.9%Highest MA: 10%	7.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	90.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA	1969Lowest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 39% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	21%±7.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.4%±8.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Topsfield and Shirley 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	#239 of 282 in MA	#172 of 282 in MA
School district	Ayer Shirley School District	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.