What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Walpole has the highest household income ($172k).

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	Walpole
People
Population	15,277Lowest	26,388Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6% MA: +7.4%	+9.6% MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA	40.9±1.2Lowest about the MA average
	Swampscott and Walpole 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%	25.1%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Walpole 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%	16.9%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Walpole 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±$23kLowest 29% above MA	$171,500±$16kHighest 65% above MA
	Walpole 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	$687,100±$20kLowest 22% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA	$2,205±$222Lowest 25% above MA
	Swampscott and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,936Lowest 32% above MA	$8,523Highest 42% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%	37.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Walpole 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%	3.6%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1977Highest 13 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 18% above MA	34 minLowest 15% above MA
Work from home	27.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	28.2%±4.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Walpole and Swampscott 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	#107 of 282 in MA
School district	Swampscott	Norfolk County Agricultural · Walpole
High school in town	Swampscott High	Walpole High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Highest	11.3Lowest
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.