What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sturbridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).

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	Sturbridge
People
Population	25,879Highest	9,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Lowest 15% above MA	47.2±2.6Highest 18% above MA
	Sturbridge 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%	20.7%±3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Sturbridge 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%	19.8%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	49.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Sturbridge and Marshfield 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	$136,759±$15kHighest 32% above MA
	Sturbridge and Marshfield 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	$425,800±$18kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Highest about the MA average	$1,193±$398Lowest 32% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,656Highest 11% above MA	$6,520Lowest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.1%±10.1Highest MA: 51.8%	42%±17.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Marshfield and Sturbridge 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%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.3%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 minLowest 19% above MA	38 minHighest 30% above MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Highest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Marshfield and Sturbridge 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	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Marshfield High	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Highest	7.7Lowest
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.