Compare towns
Scituate vs Oxford vs Rowley
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Scituate has the most people working from home (26.6%).
Oxford has the most affordable homes ($472k median).
Rowley has the shortest commute (28 min average).
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 | Oxford | Rowley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,796Lowest |
12,991Highest |
6,251 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +5.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 51.7±3.8Highest 33% above U.S. |
45.2±5.7Lowest 16% above U.S. |
50±6.3 29% above U.S. |
| Scituate and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.1%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
21.3%±4.7 U.S.: 22% |
19.3%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Scituate and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.9%±3.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
21.6%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Scituate and Oxford 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
46.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
56.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.1%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.6%±1.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
4.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Rowley and Oxford 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 54% above U.S. |
$128,953±$23k 60% above U.S. |
$132,734±$32kHighest 64% above U.S. |
| Rowley and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $821,600±$82kHighest 147% above U.S. |
$472,400±$20kLowest 42% above U.S. |
$667,300±$52k 101% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $884±$721Lowest 37% below U.S. |
$1,415±$87 about the U.S. average |
$1,603±$520Highest 13% above U.S. |
| Rowley and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,345Highest 168% above U.S. |
$6,442Lowest 107% above U.S. |
$8,309 166% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.4%±8 U.S.: 51.1% |
23.3%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
57.7%±27.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Rowley and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
3.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 83% U.S.: 65.2% |
90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1962Lowest 18 yrs older than U.S. |
1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 42 minHighest 58% above U.S. |
30 min 14% above U.S. |
28 minLowest 7% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 26.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
14.4%±3.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
11.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #43 of 282 in MA | #78 of 149 in CT | #214 of 282 in MA |
| School district | — | Oxford School District | Triton |
| High school in town | — | Oxford High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.1 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.