What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Douglas has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Douglas
People
Population	25,879Highest	9,207Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Highest 15% above MA	44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA
	Marshfield and Douglas 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%	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas 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%	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas 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	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,300±$27kHighest 21% above MA	$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Highest about the MA average	$1,503±$697Lowest 15% below MA
	Marshfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,656Highest 11% above MA	$6,338Lowest 6% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.1%±10.1Highest MA: 51.8%	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest MA: 10%	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 19% above MA	34 minLowest 16% above MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Highest MA: 18.6%	20.9%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Marshfield and Douglas 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	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Douglas
High school in town	Marshfield High	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Highest	7.2Lowest
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.