The fastest growing local community is Middleton, recently released population estimates for 2008 show.

The town's population swelled to 9,634 last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The total reflects a nearly 25 percent increase since the 2000 Census.

That growth far surpassed what other area communities experienced. Behind Middleton is Wenham, up nearly 8 percent, and Danvers and Peabody, which each saw a 6 percent increase in population. Elsewhere on the North Shore, populations held steady, hovering a few percentage points above or below what the census captured in 2000.

The size of Middleton's increase is eye-catching but somewhat misleading, given the town's modest starting point in 2000, Town Administrator Ira Singer said.

"We're a small community, and the addition of a few hundred condo units makes the percentage increase jump out," he said.

The town's total also includes the 1,200 inmates at Middleton Jail, Singer said. Middleton's population, minus the jail, is comparable to Boxford's.

But Middleton has had its share of development since the turn of the century. Roughly 325 condominiums and between 300 and 400 homes have been added, Singer said. The town's centralized location, available space and good school system make it attractive, he said.

Middleton's overcrowded elementary school, which is at 167 percent capacity, is evidence of the growth's effect. Voters in May supported a tax increase to pay for a new school.

While enrollment is rising in Middleton, it is falling in Peabody, the area's most populous city. A city-hired consultant predicted that Peabody's student population could keep dropping, by as many as 900, over the next decade.

Peabody's overall population, however, has increased, which offers proof that the city's demographics are trending older. A contributing factor is the Brooksby Village retirement community, which brought 1,349 apartments for senior citizens to the city.

Other large-scale developments, including the 446-apartment Highlands at Dearborn complex, have helped accommodate the 3,202 people who have moved to the city this decade.

Danvers has added 1,150 people. The transformation of the former Danvers State Hospital site into more than 400 apartments and 60 condominiums has fueled the increase. It followed construction of the more than 250-aparment Endicott Green development on Route 1.

Beverly, Hamilton, Marblehead, Swampscott and Topsfield lost population. Swampscott's decline, 468 residents or 3.2 percent, was the largest.

Swampscott Town Administrator Andrew Maylor couldn't identify specific reasons for the drop. It's possible that larger homes are being constructed on smaller lots, he said.

"We're a fairly stable town," Maylor said.

The 2010 Census will provide a better indication of where Swampscott stands, he said.

The U.S. Census Bureau calculates its annual estimates using building permits, estimates of construction where no building permits are reported, mobile home shipments and estimates of housing unit loss.

The official census, completed every 10 years, is considered far more accurate because it relies on more comprehensive collection techniques, such as door-to-door counting.