What stands out worked out from the figures below

Taunton has the most affordable homes ($423k median).

Haverhill has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.3%).

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	Taunton	Haverhill
People
Population	60,433Lowest	67,698Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.9±1.3Lowest about the MA average	39.4±1.1Highest about the MA average
	Haverhill and Taunton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%	21.3%±1.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Taunton and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15%±1.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	15.5%±1.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Haverhill and Taunton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	32.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±0.7Highest MA: 7.9%	4.5%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Taunton and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,283±$7kLowest 24% below MA	$88,326±$4kHighest 15% below MA
	Haverhill and Taunton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$422,800±$9kLowest 25% below MA	$453,900±$9kHighest 19% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,324±$86Lowest 25% below MA	$1,668±$49Highest 5% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,344Lowest 28% below MA	$4,772Highest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.8%±5.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	60.2%±5.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Haverhill and Taunton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest MA: 10%	11.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	62.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 1 yr newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest about the MA average	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	8%±1.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±1.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#253 of 282 in MA	#243 of 282 in MA
School district	Bristol-Plymouth Regional Vocational Technical · Taunton	Haverhill · Whittier Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Taunton High	Haverhill High
Students per teacherat that high school	16.6Highest	12.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.