What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has the most affordable homes ($680k median).

Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Marshfield	Bedford
People
Population	25,879Highest	14,727Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Highest 15% above MA	44.3±1.6Lowest 11% above MA
	Marshfield and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.8%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Bedford and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±2Highest MA: 17.9%	19.1%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	69.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.5%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bedford and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,986±$8kLowest 21% above MA	$172,400±$23kHighest 66% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,300±$27kLowest 21% above MA	$898,500±$43kHighest 60% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Lowest about the MA average	$2,622±$327Highest 49% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,656Lowest 11% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.1%±10.1Highest MA: 51.8%	42%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest MA: 10%	5.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 19% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
	Bedford and Marshfield 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	#54 of 282 in MA	#7 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Bedford
High school in town	Marshfield High	Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	11.2Highest
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.