What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sullivan has the most affordable homes ($237k 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	Sullivan	Topsfield
People
Population	687Lowest	6,564Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.6±6.5Highest 20% above U.S.	42.2±1.8Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Sullivan and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±5Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.8%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Topsfield and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Topsfield and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	71.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sullivan and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,667±$20kLowest 32% above U.S.	$195,718±$16kHighest 142% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$236,500±$29kLowest 29% below U.S.	$853,400±$40kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,225±$275Highest 13% below U.S.	$1,115±$538Lowest 21% below U.S.
	Sullivan and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,099Lowest 63% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±84.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±40.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Topsfield and Sullivan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	4.2%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.4%±8.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#172 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Topsfield
High school in town	—	None in town
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.