What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lexington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.7%).

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	Lexington
People
Population	25,879Lowest	34,295Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Lowest 15% above MA	47.3±0.8Highest 18% above MA
	Lexington and Marshfield 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%	25.5%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.2%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.7%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Lexington and Marshfield 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%	84.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Marshfield and Lexington 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	$238,444±$18kHighest 129% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,300±$27kLowest 21% above MA	$1,203,100±$35kHighest 114% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Lowest about the MA average	$2,891±$233Highest 64% 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%	50.1%±7.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest MA: 10%	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	80.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 19% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	36.7%±3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#54 of 282 in MA	#2 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Lexington
High school in town	Marshfield High	Lexington High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	11.4Highest
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.