What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Marblehead has the highest household income ($182k).

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	Marblehead
People
Population	25,879Highest	20,413Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Lowest 15% above MA	49.1±2Highest 23% above MA
	Marblehead 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%	22.3%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Marblehead and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.7%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Marblehead 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%	78.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Marshfield and Marblehead 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	$182,132±$28kHighest 75% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,300±$27kLowest 21% above MA	$943,900±$31kHighest 68% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Highest about the MA average	$1,764±$147Lowest about the MA average
	Marshfield and Marblehead 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	$8,309Highest 39% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.1%±10.1Highest MA: 51.8%	49.5%±8.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Marshfield and Marblehead 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%	4.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA	1944Lowest 20 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 19% above MA	33 minLowest 13% above MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	34%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#54 of 282 in MA	#47 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Marblehead
High school in town	Marshfield High	Marblehead High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Highest	10.7Lowest
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.