What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woburn has the highest household income ($111k).

Salem has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Salem
People
Population	41,939Lowest	44,795Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.3±1.6 about the MA average	39.3±1.5 about the MA average
Kids under 18	17.9%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%	15.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Woburn and Salem 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%	17.2%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Salem and Woburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	47.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	8.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,185±$9kHighest 7% above MA	$85,153±$5kLowest 18% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$673,500±$17kHighest 20% above MA	$542,800±$18kLowest 3% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,221±$77Highest 26% above MA	$1,836±$84Lowest 4% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,354Lowest 11% below MA	$6,114Highest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.5%±7.5Highest MA: 51.8%	54.9%±4.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Woburn and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%	12.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	49.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 13% below MA	29 minHighest about the MA average
Work from home	16%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.6%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#169 of 282 in MA	#248 of 282 in MA
School district	Woburn	Salem
High school in town	Woburn High	Salem High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	9.8Lowest
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.