What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Shirley has the most expensive homes ($220k median).

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	Shirley
People
Population	499Highest	234Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	40.9±7.8Lowest 9% below ME	42±8.2Highest 6% below ME
	Shirley 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%	16.2%±9.2Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Marshfield and Shirley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±3.3Lowest ME: 22.4%	26.5%±10.1Highest ME: 22.4%
	Shirley and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	30.6%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.6Lowest ME: 5.8%	4.3%±5.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Shirley and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$5kHighest 16% below ME	$61,875±$22kLowest 17% below ME
	Marshfield and Shirley 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	$219,600±$36kHighest 26% below ME
	Shirley and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,342Lowest 23% below ME	$2,522Highest 17% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	9.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	17%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%	99%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME	1984Highest 7 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	13 minLowest 46% below ME	21 minHighest 17% below ME
Work from home	11%±7Highest ME: 15.9%	5.3%±4.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Marshfield and Shirley 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.