Compare towns
Scituate vs Thompson vs Duxbury
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 (28%).
Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k median).
Duxbury has the highest household income ($177k).
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 | Thompson | Duxbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 19,365Highest |
9,337Lowest |
16,185 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +6.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 47.1±3.1Lowest 21% above U.S. |
54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S. |
47.6±2.3 22% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 22.2%±2.3 U.S.: 22% |
11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
22.5%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Duxbury and Scituate 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% |
24.4%±4.3 U.S.: 17.2% |
24.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Duxbury and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 66.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
70.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±1.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Scituate and Duxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $136,732±$16k 69% above U.S. |
$93,629±$18kLowest 16% above U.S. |
$176,583±$29kHighest 119% above U.S. |
| Duxbury and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $847,600±$25k 155% above U.S. |
$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S. |
$874,600±$35kHighest 163% above U.S. |
| Duxbury and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,609±$311Highest 14% above U.S. |
$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S. |
$1,591±$2k 13% above U.S. |
| Scituate and Duxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,807 182% above U.S. |
$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S. |
$9,518Highest 205% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.7%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
54%±18.7 U.S.: 51.1% |
57.8%±31.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Duxbury and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
5.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
5.1% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
84.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S. |
1963 17 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 38 minHighest 44% above U.S. |
32 minLowest 20% above U.S. |
33 min 25% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 28%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
13.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
25.1%±3.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Scituate and Duxbury 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 | #130 of 149 in CT | #32 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Scituate | Thompson School District | Duxbury |
| High school in town | Scituate High School | Tourtellotte Memorial High School | Duxbury High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.3Highest |
7.9Lowest |
9.9 |
| 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.