Bay State Atlas ← All 194 towns
Town comparison · Massachusetts

Beverly vs Wenham

North Shore · North Shore
Even split (3–3) on headline livability metrics

On the six headline livability metrics, Beverly and Wenham split the table evenly. This is a real tradeoff, not a ranking. Median homes in Beverly run roughly $380k cheaper than in Wenham, about 37% less. Beverly is about 9 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak. Schools tilt clearly toward Wenham (90 vs. 73).

The two towns at a glance

Beverly

North Shore · pop. 42,665
Two commuter rail lines, a working downtown, and the North Shore's most underrated beaches.
68
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Beverly profile →

Wenham

North Shore · pop. 4,985
Wenham is one of the wealthiest small towns in Massachusetts with Gordon College, a shared school district with Hamilton, and a self-contained calm that money tends to buy.
58
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Wenham profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Beverly Wenham
Headline
Livability index 68 53
Economics
Median home $650k $1.03M
Household income $106k $195k
Price ÷ income 6.1× 5.3×
Tax burden 65 55
Schools & Safety
Schools 73 90
Safety 73 94
Getting around
Commute to Boston 35 min 44 min
Walkability 60 20
Transit 39 22
Biking 46 20
Lifestyle
Dining 72 32
Nightlife 65 12
Arts & culture 58 28
Green space 76 50
Community
Diversity 73 15
Climate 74 65
5-yr trend 72 65

Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.

Compare on your terms

These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Beverly vs Wenham in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

Stuck between Beverly and Wenham?

I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. I've walked both towns. Tell me what matters most and I'll give you a straight answer within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.

About this comparison

Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.