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Town comparison · Massachusetts

Boxford vs North Andover

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

On the six headline livability metrics, Boxford and North Andover split the table evenly. This is a real tradeoff, not a ranking. Median homes in North Andover run roughly $340k cheaper than in Boxford, about 32% less.

The two towns at a glance

Boxford

North Shore · pop. 8,240
Boxford is the least dense town in this dataset: large lots, conservation land on every border, the Masconomet school district, and a safety score among the highest in the state.
57
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Boxford profile →

North Andover

North Shore · pop. 30,915
Phillips-Andover-adjacent without the Phillips-Andover price tag, with Lake Cochichewick, working farms, and Route 93 access.
68
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full North Andover profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Boxford North Andover
Headline
Livability index 52 71
Economics
Median home $1.07M $733k
Household income $193k $141k
Price ÷ income 5.6× 5.2×
Tax burden 55 50
Schools & Safety
Schools 88 90
Safety 96 80
Getting around
Commute to Boston 44 min 40 min
Walkability 12 32
Transit 8 20
Biking 15 28
Lifestyle
Dining 22 83
Nightlife 10 83
Arts & culture 20 93
Green space 65 70
Community
Diversity 12 87
Climate 70 72
5-yr trend 60 70

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 Boxford vs North Andover in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

Stuck between Boxford and North Andover?

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.