What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middleton has the youngest population (median age 43.1).

Marion has the most people working from home (20.1%).

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	Middleton	Marion
People
Population	9,816Highest	5,310Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±2Lowest 8% above MA	53.8±4Highest 35% above MA
Kids under 18	17.2%±3Highest MA: 19.4%	16.7%±4.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Middleton and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.3%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	46.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.7%±4.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Marion and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,402±$29kHighest 61% above MA	$143,092±$30kLowest 38% above MA
	Middleton and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$742,700±$48kHighest 32% above MA	$653,500±$47kLowest 16% above MA
	Middleton and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,407±$284Highest 20% below MA	$1,176±$516Lowest 33% below MA
	Middleton and Marion are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,785Highest 47% above MA	$5,766Lowest 4% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.7%±25.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	75.8%±26.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Marion and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest MA: 10%	9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	90.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 3% above MA	34 minHighest 15% above MA
Work from home	12.5%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±8.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Marion and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#71 of 282 in MA	#141 of 282 in MA
School district	Middleton	Marion
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.