What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scituate has the most expensive homes ($848k median).

Northbridge has the most affordable homes ($449k 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	Northbridge
People
Population	19,365Highest	16,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.1±3.1Highest 18% above MA	43.8±2.6Lowest 9% above MA
	Scituate and Northbridge 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%	21.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Scituate and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.2%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	16.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	36.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.3%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Northbridge 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	$111,319±$19kLowest 7% above MA
	Scituate and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$847,600±$25kHighest 51% above MA	$448,600±$15kLowest 20% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,609±$311Highest 9% below MA	$1,207±$102Lowest 31% below MA
	Scituate and Northbridge 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	$4,821Lowest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.7%±10.3Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±9.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Scituate and Northbridge 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%	7.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 31% above MA	31 minLowest 7% above MA
Work from home	28%±4Highest MA: 18.6%	16.2%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#43 of 282 in MA	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Scituate	Northbridge
High school in town	Scituate High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	10.8Lowest
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.