Compare towns
Scituate vs Douglas vs Marshfield Hills
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Scituate has the most people working from home (26.6%).
Douglas has the most affordable homes ($471k median).
Marshfield Hills has the highest household income ($216k).
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.
| Measure | Scituate | Douglas | Marshfield Hills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,796 |
9,207Highest |
1,978Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.1%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+6% MA: +7.4% |
+5.7%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 51.7±3.8 29% above MA |
44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA |
52±10.2Highest 30% above MA |
| Marshfield Hills and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.1%±4.8Highest MA: 19.4% |
21.2%±3.8 MA: 19.4% |
17%±7.2Lowest MA: 19.4% |
| Scituate and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±5Highest MA: 17.9% |
15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9% |
22%±6 MA: 17.9% |
| Scituate and Marshfield Hills are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 64.7%Highest MA: 47.3% |
41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
56.5% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.1%±1.5 MA: 7.9% |
5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9% |
0.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9% |
| Douglas and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $124,549±$27kLowest 20% above MA |
$152,267±$10k 46% above MA |
$216,250±$90kHighest 108% above MA |
| Marshfield Hills and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $821,600±$82k 46% above MA |
$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA |
$851,700±$107kHighest 52% above MA |
| Marshfield Hills and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $884±$721Lowest 50% below MA |
$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA |
— |
| Douglas and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,345 39% above MA |
$6,338Lowest 6% above MA |
$8,575Highest 43% above MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.4%±8 MA: 51.8% |
33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8% |
100%±38.8Highest MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 3.4%Lowest MA: 10% |
4.8%Highest MA: 10% |
3.5% MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 83%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
83.8% MA: 62.5% |
93.8%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA |
1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA |
1976 12 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 42 minHighest 44% above MA |
34 minLowest 16% above MA |
37 min 28% above MA |
| Work from home | 26.6%±4.7Highest MA: 18.6% |
20.9%±4.9 MA: 18.6% |
18.3%±8.5Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Scituate and Douglas 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 | #43 of 282 in MA | #177 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | — | Douglas | — |
| High school in town | — | Douglas High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 7.2 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 6 photos → | 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.