What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chaplin has the most affordable homes ($255k median).

Scituate has the most expensive homes ($449k 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	Chaplin	Scituate
People
Population	2,070Lowest	10,517Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±4.8Lowest 12% above U.S.	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.
	Scituate and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%	14.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chaplin and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scituate and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.1%±6.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chaplin and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,846±$14kLowest 21% above U.S.	$112,315±$23kHighest 39% above U.S.
	Scituate and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$255,200±$24kLowest 23% below U.S.	$449,300±$26kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,473±$275Lowest 4% above U.S.	$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S.
	Scituate and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,524Lowest 45% above U.S.	$5,265Highest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±27.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	18.1%±10Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chaplin and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	Chaplin School District · Regional School District 11	Scituate
High school in town	Parish Hill High School	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.5Lowest	10.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.