What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scituate has the most people working from home (28%).

Oxford has the most affordable homes ($472k 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	Oxford
People
Population	19,365Highest	12,991Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	47.1±3.1Highest 21% above U.S.	45.2±5.7Lowest 16% above U.S.
	Scituate and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	21.3%±4.7Lowest 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+	22.2%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Oxford and Scituate 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 U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Scituate and Oxford 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 69% above U.S.	$128,953±$23kLowest 60% above U.S.
	Scituate and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$847,600±$25kHighest 155% above U.S.	$472,400±$20kLowest 42% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,609±$311Highest 14% above U.S.	$1,415±$87Lowest about the U.S. average
	Scituate and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,807Highest 182% above U.S.	$6,442Lowest 107% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.7%±10.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.3%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 44% above U.S.	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	28%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.4%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#43 of 282 in MA	#78 of 149 in CT
School district	Scituate	Oxford School District
High school in town	Scituate High School	Oxford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	10.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.