What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hadley has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Hadley
People
Population	15,277Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±3.5Lowest 11% above MA	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA
	Hadley and Swampscott 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%	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Swampscott 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%	61.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Swampscott 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	$119,259±$12kLowest 15% above MA
	Swampscott and Hadley 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	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,936Highest 32% above MA	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Hadley 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%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 18% above MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Hadley 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	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Swampscott	Hadley
High school in town	Swampscott High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Highest	7.3Lowest
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.