What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scituate has the most kids (14.9% under 18).

Charlestown has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

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	Charlestown
People
Population	10,517Highest	8,051Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest RI: +4.3%	+2.2%Highest RI: +4.3%
Median age	49.9±4Lowest 23% above RI	53.3±2.1Highest 31% above RI
	Charlestown and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.3Highest RI: 18.8%	13%±3.3Lowest RI: 18.8%
	Scituate and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±4.3Lowest RI: 18.7%	27.1%±3.5Highest RI: 18.7%
	Charlestown and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.7%Lowest RI: 37.7%	40.4%Highest RI: 37.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Lowest RI: 8.3%	6.6%±2.7Highest RI: 8.3%
	Charlestown and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,315±$23kHighest 28% above RI	$109,404±$10kLowest 25% above RI
	Scituate and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$449,300±$26kLowest 11% above RI	$525,500±$57kHighest 30% above RI
	Charlestown and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,489±$251Highest 11% above RI	$1,374±$134Lowest about the RI average
	Scituate and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,265Highest 7% above RI	$3,365Lowest 31% below RI
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.6%±25.9Lowest RI: 48%	60.7%±20.6Highest RI: 48%
	Charlestown and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Highest RI: 11.2%	4.2%Lowest RI: 11.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Lowest RI: 63.6%	92%Highest RI: 63.6%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 4 yrs newer than RI	1980Highest 18 yrs newer than RI
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 20% above RI	28 minLowest 9% above RI
Work from home	13.3%±5.1Lowest RI: 13%	18.9%±3.9Highest RI: 13%
	Charlestown and Scituate 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	#17 of 38 in RI	#10 of 38 in RI
School district	Scituate	Chariho
High school in town	Scituate High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

RI 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.