What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most people working from home (19%).

Peabody has the most expensive homes ($596k 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	Windham	Peabody
People
Population	19,188Lowest	54,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±1.8Lowest 7% above U.S.	45.3±2.4Highest 16% above U.S.
	Peabody and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.3%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Peabody and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,934±$14kHighest 34% above U.S.	$96,657±$4kLowest 20% above U.S.
	Windham and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,900±$22kLowest 17% above U.S.	$596,200±$12kHighest 79% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,232±$332Lowest 13% below U.S.	$1,950±$99Highest 38% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S.	$5,065Highest 62% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	19%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#95 of 133 in ME	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 14	Peabody
High school in town	Windham High School	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	10.3Lowest
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.