What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scituate has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

Ludlow has the most affordable homes ($335k median).

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	Scituate	Ludlow
People
Population	19,365Lowest	20,904Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	-0.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.1±3.1Highest 18% above MA	44.3±1.8Lowest 11% above MA
	Scituate and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	16.4%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	22.2%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	21.8%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Scituate and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	27%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.2%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Ludlow and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$136,732±$16kHighest 32% above MA	$84,838±$7kLowest 18% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$847,600±$25kHighest 51% above MA	$335,300±$10kLowest 40% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,609±$311Highest 9% below MA	$1,223±$82Lowest 31% below MA
	Scituate and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,807Highest 47% above MA	$4,918Lowest 18% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.7%±10.3Highest MA: 51.8%	50.7%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Scituate and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%	6.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	77.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA	1964Highest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 31% above MA	20 minLowest 31% below MA
Work from home	28%±4Highest MA: 18.6%	14%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#43 of 282 in MA	#154 of 282 in MA
School district	Scituate	Ludlow
High school in town	Scituate High School	Ludlow Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	11.1Lowest
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.