What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has the most affordable homes ($178k median).

Brookline has the most expensive homes ($291k 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	Brookline
People
Population	470Lowest	531Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.9% VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.4±8.8Lowest about the VT average	45.1±2.7Highest 5% above VT
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±9.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	20%±6Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	10.2%±4.4Lowest VT: 21.4%	19.6%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	41.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.4Highest VT: 7%	3.2%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Marshfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,375±$20kHighest 4% above VT	$80,833±$16kLowest about the VT average
	Marshfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$178,300±$31kLowest 44% below VT	$290,700±$37kHighest 8% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$79Lowest 9% below VT	$1,732±$232Highest 40% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,269Lowest 35% below VT	$5,000Highest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±62.4Highest VT: 48.4%	47.8%±94.7Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Marshfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	6.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 24% above VT	28 minLowest 21% above VT
Work from home	17.5%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.2Highest VT: 16.9%
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.