What stands out worked out from the figures below

Griswold has the most affordable homes ($276k median).

Marshfield has the most people working from home (24.8%).

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	Griswold	Marshfield
People
Population	11,530Lowest	25,879Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±3.9Highest 24% above U.S.	45.9±2.6Lowest 18% above U.S.
	Griswold and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Marshfield and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.2%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Marshfield and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Marshfield and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,719±$11kLowest about the U.S. average	$125,986±$8kHighest 56% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,900±$42kLowest 17% below U.S.	$680,300±$27kHighest 104% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,177±$65Lowest 17% below U.S.	$1,772±$123Highest 25% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,628Lowest 48% above U.S.	$6,656Highest 113% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±15.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.1%±10.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Marshfield and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.8%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#118 of 149 in CT	#54 of 282 in MA
School district	Griswold School District	Marshfield
High school in town	Griswold High School	Marshfield High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	11.0Lowest
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.