What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Harvard 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	Marshfield	Harvard
People
Population	25,879Highest	6,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Highest 15% above MA	44.1±4.7Lowest 10% above MA
	Marshfield and Harvard 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%	21.1%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Harvard 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%	16.3%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Harvard 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%	62%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Marshfield and Harvard 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	$213,996±$24kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,300±$27kLowest 21% above MA	$833,600±$54kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Highest about the MA average	$1,321±$424Lowest 25% below MA
	Marshfield and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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%±10.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	72.5%±51.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Harvard and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest MA: 10%	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 19% above MA	32 minLowest 9% above MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	44.8%±6.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#54 of 282 in MA	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Harvard
High school in town	Marshfield High	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0	11.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.