What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newburyport has the shortest commute (32 min average).

Scituate has the most homeowners (87.8%).

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	Newburyport	Scituate
People
Population	18,652Lowest	19,365Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.8±2.9Highest 25% above MA	47.1±3.1Lowest 18% above MA
	Newburyport and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.2%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Scituate and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±2.7Highest MA: 17.9%	22.2%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Newburyport and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67%Highest MA: 47.3%	66.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Scituate and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$139,625±$21kHighest 34% above MA	$136,732±$16kLowest 32% above MA
	Newburyport and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$834,000±$37kLowest 48% above MA	$847,600±$25kHighest 51% above MA
	Scituate and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,592±$221Lowest 10% below MA	$1,609±$311Highest 9% below MA
	Scituate and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,944Lowest 33% above MA	$8,807Highest 47% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.4%±9.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.7%±10.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Scituate and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Highest MA: 10%	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA	1960Highest 4 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 8% above MA	38 minHighest 31% above MA
Work from home	28.9%±4Highest MA: 18.6%	28%±4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Newburyport and Scituate 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	#56 of 282 in MA	#43 of 282 in MA
School district	Newburyport	Scituate
High school in town	Newburyport High	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.