What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has the most people working from home (11%).

Northfield has the oldest population (median age 62.1).

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	Northfield
People
Population	499Highest	263Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	40.9±7.8Lowest 9% below ME	62.1±16.2Highest 39% above ME
	Northfield and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.5%±6.9Highest ME: 18.1%	11.4%±7.8Lowest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	20.8%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	39.2%±9.2Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	40.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.6Highest ME: 5.8%	1.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Marshfield and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$5kLowest 16% below ME	$68,333±$52kHighest 9% below ME
	Northfield and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$191,900±$42kLowest 35% below ME	$198,600±$64kHighest 33% below ME
	Northfield and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,342Highest 23% below ME	$1,773Lowest 42% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	9.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	20.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.6%Highest ME: 74.3%	88.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr newer than ME	1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	13 minLowest 46% below ME	24 minHighest about the ME average
Work from home	11%±7Highest ME: 15.9%	3.2%±2.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Marshfield and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.