What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has the most affordable homes ($214k median).

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.9%).

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	1,863Highest	531Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+1.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	38.7±6.1Lowest 10% below VT	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	24.2%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9%	20%±6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	19.6%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	41.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%	3.2%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,313±$10kLowest 26% below VT	$80,833±$16kHighest about the VT average
	Brookline and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$214,100±$37kLowest 32% below VT	$290,700±$37kHighest 8% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,317±$126Lowest 7% above VT	$1,732±$232Highest 40% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,668Lowest 27% below VT	$5,000Highest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65.7%±73.8Highest 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	9.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 23% above VT	28 minLowest 21% above VT
Work from home	24.5%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.2Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Marshfield and Brookline 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.