What stands out worked out from the figures below

Swampscott has the most expensive homes ($771k median).

Ashland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13.5%).

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	Swampscott	Ashland
People
Population	15,277Lowest	18,873Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+13.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA	42.1±1.4Lowest 5% above MA
	Swampscott and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	18.4%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%	18.2%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	60.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA	$127,539±$11kLowest 23% above MA
	Swampscott and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA	$611,700±$18kLowest 9% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,303±$143Lowest 31% above MA	$2,452±$298Highest 39% above MA
	Ashland and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,936Highest 32% above MA	$7,444Lowest 24% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%	55.2%±14.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest MA: 10%	3.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 18% above MA	37 minHighest 26% above MA
Work from home	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%	22.7%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Ashland 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	#76 of 282 in MA	#42 of 282 in MA
School district	Swampscott	Ashland
High school in town	Swampscott High	Ashland High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	14.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.