Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 57/100
C−
Median home value$771,100
Boston $646,300
Median rent$2,303/mo
Boston $2,023/mo
Cost-burdened households38%
Boston 36%
Swampscott
Essex County15,277 residentsSwampscott
61
C
Suburbgrade score
31st of 60 Boston suburbs. Strongest on schools, held back by commute & transport.
61
Boston median 61
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Swampscott yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 61 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Swampscott is like to live in, by category
Bars show Swampscott against Boston. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 77/100
B
Within-state proficiency60th pct
Boston median 47th pct
Student–teacher ratio11.3
Boston median 11.8
Graduation rate98%
Boston median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Housing cost index116
Boston 100
Eff. tax rate1.08%
Boston 1.01%
Local sales tax6.25%
Boston median 6.25%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 46/100
D
Mean commute34.3 min
Boston 30.3 min
Under 30 minutes48%
Boston 52%
Transit stops / sq mi12
Boston median 8.1 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 54/100
C−
Restaurants & cafés19
Boston median 51 · within 2 miles
Groceries3
Boston median 4 · within 2 miles
Parks40
Boston median 65 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 56/100
C−
Median household income$134,386
Boston $115,863
Unemployment6.1%
Boston 4.9%
Professional occupations65%
Boston 54%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Swampscott yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Swampscott on commute & transport
Swampscott's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
Cambridge13 mi from SwampscottB 74 B Waltham19 mi from SwampscottB 65 C+ Newton19 mi from SwampscottB− 75 B Brookline16 mi from SwampscottB− 77 B Watertown16 mi from SwampscottB− 68 B− Gloucester15 mi from SwampscottC+ 52 D+ Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Swampscott
Is Swampscott, MA a good place to live?
Swampscott scores 61 out of 100, 31st of 60 Boston suburbs. It is strongest on schools and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Swampscott expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $771,100, 19% above the Boston median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.08%. $2,303/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Swampscott?
Schools grade B. The districts serving Swampscott sit at the 60th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 98% graduation rate and a 11.3 student–teacher ratio. Swampscott is served by Swampscott. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Swampscott?
The mean commute is 34.3 min, with 48% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 27% working from home. Transit density is 12 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Swampscott?
Within two miles there are 3 groceries, 19 restaurants and cafés and 40 parks, which grades C− on amenities.
Are the homes in Swampscott old or new?
The median home in Swampscott was built in 1955 — older than the Boston median of 1964. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 58% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.