What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dudley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.7%).

Scituate has the most people working from home (13.3%).

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	Dudley	Scituate
People
Population	11,929Highest	10,517Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.2±2.4Lowest 3% above U.S.	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dudley and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	34.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,604±$12kLowest 5% above U.S.	$112,315±$23kHighest 39% above U.S.
	Scituate and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,600±$19kLowest 18% above U.S.	$449,300±$26kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,217±$182Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S.
	Scituate and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,691Lowest 18% above U.S.	$5,265Highest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	9.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Scituate and Dudley 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	#142 of 282 in MA	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg	Scituate
High school in town	Shepherd Hill Regional High	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	10.8Lowest
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.