What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scituate has the most affordable homes ($449k median).

Danvers has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Danvers
People
Population	10,517Lowest	28,098Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.	45.3±3Lowest 16% above U.S.
	Scituate and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.2%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Danvers and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scituate and Danvers 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 U.S.: 35.7%	48.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Scituate and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,315±$23kLowest 39% above U.S.	$125,395±$10kHighest 55% above U.S.
	Danvers and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$449,300±$26kLowest 35% above U.S.	$644,200±$23kHighest 94% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,489±$251Lowest 5% above U.S.	$2,076±$192Highest 47% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,265Lowest 69% above U.S.	$6,654Highest 113% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.8%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	28 minLowest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Danvers 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	#91 of 282 in MA
School district	Scituate	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers
High school in town	Scituate High School	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	12.8Highest
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.