What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Reading has the highest household income ($166k).

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	Reading
People
Population	25,879Highest	25,612Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Highest 15% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	Marshfield and Reading 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%	22.8%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Reading 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%	20.7%±2.3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Reading 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%	66.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Marshfield and Reading 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	$165,912±$13kHighest 60% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,300±$27kLowest 21% above MA	$809,000±$22kHighest 44% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Lowest about the MA average	$1,991±$273Highest 13% above MA
	Reading and Marshfield 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	$9,320Highest 56% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.1%±10.1Highest MA: 51.8%	27.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest MA: 10%	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA	1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 19% above MA	31 minLowest 6% above MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.2%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Reading 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	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Reading
High school in town	Marshfield High	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	12.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.