What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.9%).

Marshfield has the most affordable homes ($214k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Brookline	Marshfield
People
Population	531Lowest	1,863Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.1±2.7Highest 5% above VT	38.7±6.1Lowest 10% below VT
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±6Lowest VT: 17.9%	24.2%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%	17.8%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	38.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.6Highest VT: 7%	2.7%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,833±$16kHighest about the VT average	$60,313±$10kLowest 26% below VT
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$290,700±$37kHighest 8% below VT	$214,100±$37kLowest 32% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,732±$232Highest 40% above VT	$1,317±$126Lowest 7% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,000Highest about the VT average	$3,668Lowest 27% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.8%±94.7Lowest VT: 48.4%	65.7%±73.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Marshfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	9.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	84.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 21% above VT	29 minHighest 23% above VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	24.5%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Marshfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.