What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Swampscott has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

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	Swampscott
People
Population	25,879Highest	15,277Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.6Highest 15% above MA	44.5±3.5Lowest 11% above MA
	Marshfield and Swampscott 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%	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott 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%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott 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%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott 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	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA
	Swampscott 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±$27kLowest 21% above MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,772±$123Lowest about the MA average	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,656Lowest 11% above MA	$7,936Highest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.1%±10.1Highest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Marshfield and Swampscott 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%	7.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 19% above MA	34 minLowest 18% above MA
Work from home	24.8%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott 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	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Marshfield	Swampscott
High school in town	Marshfield High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	11.7Highest
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.