Everett and Salem receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Everett
Salem
Opportunity
60 · Top 41%
vs55 · Bottom 47%
Growth
64 · Top 26%
vs73 · Top 13%
Climate
65 · Bottom 36%
vs63 · Bottom 27%
Physical resilience
88 · Top 13%
vs78 · Top 27%
Housing affordability
40 · Bottom 4%
vs52 · Bottom 12%
Schools
29 · Bottom 22%
vs40 · Bottom 35%
Access
99 · Top 14%
vs98 · Top 15%
Economic stability
61 · Top 50%
vs64 · Top 42%
Measured values
| Metric | Everett | Salem | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 50,045 | 44,795 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $85,218 | $85,153 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $37,594 | $50,339 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 14,646/sq mi | 5,401/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $610,000 | $542,800 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $2,076 | $1,836 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 37.2% | 49.7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | 4.3% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -1.7% | -1.7% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.9% | 47.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 14.7% | 12.1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 213 | 177 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 4.3 | 4.0 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | 21.0% | 378.4% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 82°F | 82°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 23°F | 20°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 43.6" | 44.9" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 4 mi | 11 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 38.7 min | 31.0 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 35.2 | 39.3 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 11 | 12 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 11.73 | 11.78 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 17.9% | 19.5% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 29.0% | 36.5% | 2019-20 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Everett
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.
Salem
Elevated or high exposure: coastal flooding, earthquake, hurricane.
Full profiles: Everett, MA · Salem, MA · How this is calculated: methodology