What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ipswich has the shortest commute (29 min average).

Scituate has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.1%).

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	Ipswich	Scituate
People
Population	13,930Highest	5,796Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.2±3.5Lowest 18% above MA	51.7±3.8Highest 29% above MA
	Scituate and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.1%±4.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Scituate and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.3%±5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Scituate and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	64.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.1%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Ipswich and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,750±$16kHighest 33% above MA	$124,549±$27kLowest 20% above MA
	Ipswich and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$745,400±$40kLowest 33% above MA	$821,600±$82kHighest 46% above MA
	Scituate and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,598±$90Highest 9% below MA	$884±$721Lowest 50% below MA
	Ipswich and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,960Lowest 33% above MA	$8,345Highest 39% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±12.2Highest MA: 51.8%	46.4%±8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Ipswich and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest MA: 10%	3.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest same as MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	42 minHighest 44% above MA
Work from home	18.9%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	26.6%±4.7Highest MA: 18.6%
	Scituate and Ipswich 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	#101 of 282 in MA	#43 of 282 in MA
School district	Ipswich	—
High school in town	Ipswich High	—
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.