What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

Sandwich has the shortest commute (28 min average).

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	Sandwich
People
Population	25,879Highest	20,522Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Highest MA: +7.4%	-2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Lowest 15% above MA	51.8±1.8Highest 30% above MA
Kids under 18	19.6%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%	17.3%±2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Marshfield and Sandwich 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%	27.4%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	51.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Marshfield and Sandwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,986±$8kHighest 21% above MA	$122,486±$12kLowest 18% above MA
	Marshfield and Sandwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,300±$27kHighest 21% above MA	$601,400±$26kLowest 7% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Highest about the MA average	$1,751±$121Lowest about the MA average
	Marshfield and Sandwich 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	$6,483Lowest 8% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.1%±10.1Highest MA: 51.8%	31.9%±13.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest MA: 10%	7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 19% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Highest MA: 18.6%	14.5%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#54 of 282 in MA	#77 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Sandwich
High school in town	Marshfield High	Sandwich Middle High School
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.