What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sandwich has the shortest commute (28 min average).

Marshfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

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	Sandwich	Marshfield
People
Population	20,522Lowest	25,879Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+2.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	51.8±1.8Highest 30% above MA	45.9±2.6Lowest 15% above MA
Kids under 18	17.3%±2Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Marshfield and Sandwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%	20.2%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	52.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Marshfield and Sandwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,486±$12kLowest 18% above MA	$125,986±$8kHighest 21% above MA
	Marshfield and Sandwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$601,400±$26kLowest 7% above MA	$680,300±$27kHighest 21% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,751±$121Lowest about the MA average	$1,772±$123Highest about the MA average
	Marshfield and Sandwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,483Lowest 8% above MA	$6,656Highest 11% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.9%±13.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.1%±10.1Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest MA: 10%	8.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	80.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% below MA	35 minHighest 19% above MA
Work from home	14.5%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.8%±4.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#77 of 282 in MA	#54 of 282 in MA
School district	Sandwich	Marshfield
High school in town	Sandwich Middle High School	Marshfield High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.0Highest
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.