What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the most affordable homes ($523k median).

Swampscott has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

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	Sutton	Swampscott
People
Population	9,452Lowest	15,277Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Lowest 11% above MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
	Swampscott and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±3.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$147,125±$25kHighest 42% above MA	$134,386±$23kLowest 29% above MA
	Sutton and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kLowest 7% below MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Lowest 32% below MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,763Lowest 13% above MA	$7,936Highest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest about the MA average	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Sutton 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	#105 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Sutton	Swampscott
High school in town	Sutton High School	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	11.7Lowest
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.