What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has the most affordable homes ($389k 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	Windham
People
Population	15,277Lowest	19,188Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±3.5Highest 14% above U.S.	41.8±1.8Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Swampscott and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Swampscott and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Swampscott and Windham 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 U.S.: 35.7%	44.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Swampscott and Windham 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 66% above U.S.	$107,934±$14kLowest 34% above U.S.
	Swampscott and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$771,100±$41kHighest 132% above U.S.	$388,900±$22kLowest 17% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,303±$143Highest 63% above U.S.	$1,232±$332Lowest 13% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,936Highest 154% above U.S.	$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57%±14.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Swampscott and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	27.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Swampscott and Windham 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	#95 of 133 in ME
School district	Swampscott	RSU 14
High school in town	Swampscott High	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	12.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.