Compare towns
Dedham vs Marshfield vs Preston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Dedham has the most renters (26.6% rent).
Marshfield has the most people working from home (24.8%).
Preston has the most affordable homes ($362k 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.
| Measure | Dedham | Marshfield | Preston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 25,237 |
25,879Highest |
4,821Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 44.6±1.6Lowest 15% above U.S. |
45.9±2.6 18% above U.S. |
46.2±7Highest 19% above U.S. |
| Preston and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22% |
19.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
18.7%±4.4 U.S.: 22% |
| Marshfield and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.9%±2 U.S.: 17.2% |
20.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
23%±4.7Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Preston and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 55%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
52.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.9%±2.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Dedham and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $128,955±$10kHighest 60% above U.S. |
$125,986±$8k 56% above U.S. |
$116,648±$27kLowest 44% above U.S. |
| Dedham and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $661,800±$16k 99% above U.S. |
$680,300±$27kHighest 104% above U.S. |
$361,900±$13kLowest 9% above U.S. |
| Marshfield and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $2,042±$182Highest 45% above U.S. |
$1,772±$123 25% above U.S. |
$1,433±$1kLowest about the U.S. average |
| Dedham and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,918Highest 154% above U.S. |
$6,656 113% above U.S. |
$4,749Lowest 52% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 56.4%±10 U.S.: 51.1% |
68.1%±10.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
52.6%±12.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Marshfield and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.6% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
2.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
80.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
91.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S. |
1968 12 yrs older than U.S. |
1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 min 11% above U.S. |
35 minHighest 31% above U.S. |
22 minLowest 16% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 20%±2.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
24.8%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.3%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Marshfield and Dedham 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 | #119 of 282 in MA | #54 of 282 in MA | #93 of 149 in CT |
| School district | Dedham | Marshfield | Preston School District |
| High school in town | Dedham High | Marshfield High | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.4Lowest |
11.0Highest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.