What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ludlow has the most affordable homes ($335k median).

Scituate has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

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	Ludlow	Scituate
People
Population	20,904Highest	19,365Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 11% above MA	47.1±3.1Highest 18% above MA
	Scituate and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.2%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	21.8%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.2%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Scituate and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27%Lowest MA: 47.3%	66.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Ludlow and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,838±$7kLowest 18% below MA	$136,732±$16kHighest 32% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$335,300±$10kLowest 40% below MA	$847,600±$25kHighest 51% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,223±$82Lowest 31% below MA	$1,609±$311Highest 9% below MA
	Scituate and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,918Lowest 18% below MA	$8,807Highest 47% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.7%±10.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Scituate and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Highest MA: 10%	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest same as MA	1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 31% below MA	38 minHighest 31% above MA
Work from home	14%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	28%±4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#154 of 282 in MA	#43 of 282 in MA
School district	Ludlow	Scituate
High school in town	Ludlow Senior High	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	11.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.