What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woburn has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Beverly has the most people working from home (22.3%).

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	Woburn	Beverly
People
Population	41,939Lowest	42,665Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.3±1.6Highest about the MA average	39±1.8Lowest about the MA average
	Woburn and Beverly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.5%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Beverly and Woburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.7%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	53.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	11.3%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,185±$9kHighest 7% above MA	$106,044±$7kLowest about the MA average
	Woburn and Beverly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$673,500±$17kHighest 20% above MA	$650,300±$13kLowest 16% above MA
	Woburn and Beverly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,221±$77Highest 26% above MA	$1,771±$106Lowest about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,354Lowest 11% below MA	$6,836Highest 14% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.5%±7.5 MA: 51.8%	55.5%±7.2 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%	9.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	60.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 13% below MA	30 minHighest 3% above MA
Work from home	16%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.3%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#169 of 282 in MA	#144 of 282 in MA
School district	Woburn	Beverly
High school in town	Woburn High	Beverly High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	12.2Highest
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.