Marblehead, Swampscott, Melrose, and Stoneham, FY2003–FY2026, with FY2028 projections.
Lowest tax rate of the four towns, because home values are high
Second-highest average bill, for the same reason
Lowest tax burden relative to income: only 24 of 350 MA communities have a lighter ratio
Tax rate, per $1,000 assessed value
Marblehead
Swampscott
Melrose
Stoneham
Even at full Tier 3 ($15M), Marblehead's rate ($10.06) would remain the lowest of the four. The Melrose FY26 spike reflects its $13.5M override (November 2025). Dashed lines assume 2.5% levy growth and constant assessed values.
Average single-family tax bill
With any override tier, Marblehead's average bill would surpass Swampscott's. Without an override, Marblehead ($11,055) remains second behind Swampscott ($11,478). The difference is home values: Marblehead's median assessed value is $1,010,100.
Tax bill as share of household income
Even at full Tier 3, Marblehead's tax-to-income ratio (7.1%) stays well below Swampscott's current 8.5%. Statewide, only 24 of 350 Massachusetts communities have a lighter tax-to-income ratio than Marblehead. Income: ACS 2020–2024 median household (±$28K for Marblehead). Full 351-community chart.
Reading the data
Tax rate: $8.56, lowest of four
Undertaxed: Most room to raise; even at Tier 3, still lowest of the group.
Paying enough: Rate is mechanically low because home values are high, not because the town chose to tax less.
Average single-family bill: $11,055, 2nd highest
Undertaxed: Bill tracks wealth, not tax effort; Swampscott pays more on lower incomes.
Paying enough: Residents already pay more than Melrose and Stoneham; any override makes Marblehead the highest.
Bill / income: 6.1%, lowest of four
Undertaxed: Clearest signal: even at Tier 3, Marblehead (7.1%) stays well below Swampscott (8.5%).
Paying enough: ACS income has wide error margins (±$28K for Marblehead); median income includes renters who don't pay property tax directly.
Undertaxed: Every structural peer has passed one more recently; Marblehead's levy limit has lagged as a result.
Paying enough: Voters rejected overrides in 2023 and 2024; the gap reflects democratic choice, not undertaxation.
No single metric settles the question. The rate says Marblehead has capacity. The bill says residents already pay real money. The income ratio says the burden is lighter than it looks. All of these are simultaneously true.
Sources and methodology
Rate chart: MA DOR DLS, Tax Rates by Class FY2003–FY2026. Bill chart: DOR DLS, "Average Single Family Tax Bill" report, FY2006–FY2026. All four towns use split tax rates except Marblehead, which uses a single rate.
FY2028 projections. Dashed lines assume 2.5% annual levy growth (Proposition 2½ ceiling) and assessed values held constant at FY2026 levels. Actual rates will differ due to new growth, value changes, and debt exclusions. Melrose FY26 includes its $13.5M override (November 2025). Stoneham's $9.3M override (December 2025) is in FY28 projections but not FY26 actuals. Marblehead tiers: rate + (override / $9.89B assessed value). Tier 1 ~$9.46, Tier 2 ~$9.76, Tier 3 ~$10.06. Bills: ~$12,217, ~$12,604, ~$12,991.
Income data (two sources). (1) ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimates (table B19013), 2024 dollars. Marblehead $182,132 (±$27,872), Swampscott $134,386 (±$22,662), Melrose $133,953 (±$14,410), Stoneham $113,964 (±$10,253). (2) DOR per-capita income FY2027 (Municipal Databank): Marblehead $115,422 (20th of 351), Swampscott $76,071 (64th), Melrose $69,170 (85th), Stoneham $58,058 (115th). Full dataset: dor_per_capita_income_FY27.csv.
On the income metric. Bill / income divides the DOR average single-family bill by the ACS median household income. The bill describes homeowners; the income describes all households including renters. The ratio is useful for relative comparisons across towns (same methodology) but is not a precise measure of any individual homeowner's burden.
These four towns are North Shore neighbors. Compare tax rates across all 351 MA communities in the Town Explorer.