Compare towns
Marshfield Hills vs Reading vs Scituate
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Marshfield Hills has the highest household income ($216k).
Reading has the shortest commute (31 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.
| Measure | Marshfield Hills | Reading | Scituate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,978Lowest |
25,612Highest |
5,796 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.7% MA: +7.4% |
+3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+7.1%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 52±10.2Highest 30% above MA |
43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA |
51.7±3.8 29% above MA |
| Marshfield Hills and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17%±7.2Lowest MA: 19.4% |
22.8%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
22.1%±4.8 MA: 19.4% |
| Reading and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22%±6 MA: 17.9% |
20.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9% |
27.3%±5Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Scituate and Marshfield Hills are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 56.5%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
66.3%Highest MA: 47.3% |
64.7% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9% |
2.9%±0.7 MA: 7.9% |
3.1%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Scituate and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $216,250±$90kHighest 108% above MA |
$165,912±$13k 60% above MA |
$124,549±$27kLowest 20% above MA |
| Marshfield Hills and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $851,700±$107kHighest 52% above MA |
$809,000±$22kLowest 44% above MA |
$821,600±$82k 46% above MA |
| Marshfield Hills and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,991±$273Highest 13% above MA |
$884±$721Lowest 50% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,575 43% above MA |
$9,320Highest 56% above MA |
$8,345Lowest 39% above MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 100%±38.8Highest MA: 51.8% |
27.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8% |
46.4%±8 MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 3.5%Highest MA: 10% |
3.2%Lowest MA: 10% |
3.4% MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 93.8%Highest MA: 62.5% |
82.4%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
83% MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA |
1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA |
1962 2 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 37 min 28% above MA |
31 minLowest 6% above MA |
42 minHighest 44% above MA |
| Work from home | 18.3%±8.5Lowest MA: 18.6% |
30.2%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
26.6%±4.7 MA: 18.6% |
| Reading and Scituate 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 | — | #50 of 282 in MA | #43 of 282 in MA |
| School district | — | Reading | — |
| High school in town | — | Reading Memorial High | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.1 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.