Compare towns
Scituate vs Devens vs Johnston
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 homeowners (87.3%).
Devens has the most people working from home (28.5%).
Johnston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).
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 | Devens | Johnston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,517 |
1,723Lowest |
29,835Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
-7.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S. |
48.6±4.3 25% above U.S. |
44.5±2.5Lowest 14% above U.S. |
| Scituate and Devens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.9%±3.3 U.S.: 22% |
5.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22% |
17.5%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Johnston 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% |
14%±5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.1%±2.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Scituate and Johnston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
28.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.2%±4.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Johnston and Devens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $112,315±$23k 39% above U.S. |
$189,250±$63kHighest 134% above U.S. |
$91,866±$6kLowest 14% above U.S. |
| Devens 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±$26k 35% above U.S. |
$556,800±$96kHighest 67% above U.S. |
$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S. |
| Devens and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,489±$251 5% above U.S. |
$1,500±$539Highest 6% above U.S. |
$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S. |
| Devens and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,265 69% above U.S. |
$5,556Highest 78% above U.S. |
$4,614Lowest 48% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 59.6%±25.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
85.4%±64.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Devens and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
25.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
79.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1966 14 yrs older than U.S. |
1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S. |
1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minHighest 16% above U.S. |
28 min 5% above U.S. |
24 minLowest 11% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 13.3%±5.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
28.5%±11.5Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Devens 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 | — | #32 of 38 in RI |
| School district | Scituate | — | Johnston |
| High school in town | Scituate High School | — | Johnston Senior High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.8Highest |
— | 10.3Lowest |
| 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.