Peabody, MA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

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Essex County · Boston-Cambridge-Newton · population 55,418

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Peabody, MA
Image: Wikipedia · Peabody, Massachusetts
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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61
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Peabody stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $698,048
1-year +0.7%
5-yr CAGR +4.4%
vs 5-yr peak -0.5%
Population +0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-01$698k$357k$481k$605k$730k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
52/100
Somewhat walkable
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
67/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,787/mo$2,248$2,636$3,025202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent119117100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 20.9
Lean rent

At a 20.9 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Peabody. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
54 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
61 · w22%
Distance from peak
87 · w18%
Population growth
54 · w16%
Rent YoY
41 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
69 · w10%
Long thesis

Peabody has held up across the cycle: home values at $698,048 with +4.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Peabody's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Peabody

Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, with an estimated population of 55,418. It anchors the Boston-Cambridge-Newton metro area. The median home value in Peabody is $698,048 as of 2026-04, up 0.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +4.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Peabody average $2,787 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (-0.7%). The composite momentum score is 61 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Held the highs: currently -0.5% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
○The data is the data: Peabody has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Peabody (Wikipedia)

Peabody is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known for its rich industrial history.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorEdward A. Bettencourt Jr.
Area16.81 sq mi
Elevation17 ft
Settled1626
Density3355.36/sq mi
Named forGeorge Peabody

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Essex County right now.

NWS active alerts (MA)Massachusetts Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Essex County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Peabody

Waltham, MA63 · RisingMedford, MA63 · RisingSalem, MA64 · RisingMalden, MA61 · Stable

Run the numbers for Peabody

ToolCan I afford Peabody?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Peabody rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Peabody to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolPeabody cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
35° / 21°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
81° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
200
~55% of year
Annual precip
48″ rain
43″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Moderate
Tornado
Low
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Boston-Cambridge-Newton area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Peabody listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$96,500
Massachusetts state median
Top industries (state-level)
TechBiotechEducation/Healthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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