What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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

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	Sutton
People
Population	15,277Highest	9,452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA	44.3±2.5Lowest 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	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±3.3Lowest 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+	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%	18.8%±3.2Lowest 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+	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	52.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%	3.9%±1.8Lowest 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	$134,386±$23kLowest 29% above MA	$147,125±$25kHighest 42% 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	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA	$523,100±$47kLowest 7% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA	$1,190±$401Lowest 32% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,936Highest 32% above MA	$6,763Lowest 13% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%	47.5%±24.4Lowest 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	7.1%Highest MA: 10%	5.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 18% above MA	30 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%	22.7%±4.1Lowest 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	#76 of 282 in MA	#105 of 282 in MA
School district	Swampscott	Sutton
High school in town	Swampscott High	Sutton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	12.6Highest
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.