What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Townsend has the most affordable homes ($433k 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	Townsend
People
Population	15,277Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA	40.9±3.3Lowest about the MA average
	Swampscott and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	21%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Townsend and Swampscott 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%	17.1%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Townsend 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%	35.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Townsend 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	$121,528±$23kLowest 17% above MA
	Swampscott and Townsend 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	$433,200±$22kLowest 23% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA	$1,469±$313Lowest 17% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,936Highest 32% above MA	$6,031Lowest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%	50.6%±16.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Lowest MA: 10%	8.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 18% above MA	37 minHighest 27% above MA
Work from home	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%	10.5%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#76 of 282 in MA	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Swampscott	North Middlesex
High school in town	Swampscott High	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	13.1Highest
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.