What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dyer Brook has the most affordable homes ($135k median).

Marshfield has the shortest commute (13 min average).

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	Dyer Brook	Marshfield
People
Population	275Lowest	499Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.9% ME: +2.6%
Median age	38.7±11.8Lowest 14% below ME	40.9±7.8Highest 9% below ME
	Marshfield and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.4%±11Lowest ME: 18.1%	28.5%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Marshfield and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.4%±8.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	20.8%±3.3Highest ME: 22.4%
	Marshfield and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.5%Highest ME: 36.2%	26.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±6.7Highest ME: 5.8%	2%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Dyer Brook and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,409±$27kHighest about the ME average	$62,500±$5kLowest 16% below ME
	Dyer Brook and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$135,000±$51kLowest 54% below ME	$191,900±$42kHighest 35% below ME
	Marshfield and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,606Lowest 47% below ME	$2,342Highest 23% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Marshfield and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.9%Lowest ME: 10.7%	9.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.6%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 8 yrs newer than ME	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest about the ME average	13 minLowest 46% below ME
Work from home	8.4%±6.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	11%±7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Marshfield and Dyer Brook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.