What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

Norton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

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	Norton
People
Population	470Highest	108Lowest
Median age	42.4±8.8Lowest about the VT average	53.8±6.7Highest 25% above VT
	Norton and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±9.1Highest VT: 17.9%	13%±21.1Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Norton 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%	31.5%±15.8Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%
	Norton and Marshfield 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	$65,625±$23kLowest 19% below VT
	Marshfield and Norton 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	$200,000±$32kHighest 37% below VT
	Norton and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$79 9% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,269Highest 35% below VT	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±62.4 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 24% above VT	39 minHighest 68% above VT
Work from home	17.5%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%
	Norton and Marshfield 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

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.