What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stoneham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	10,517Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.	42.2±2.2Lowest 8% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scituate and Stoneham 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%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stoneham 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±$23kLowest 39% above U.S.	$113,964±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.
	Stoneham 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.	$671,900±$26kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,489±$251Lowest 5% above U.S.	$2,035±$142Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,265Lowest 69% above U.S.	$6,523Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Stoneham 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%	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#17 of 38 in RI	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Scituate	Stoneham
High school in town	Scituate High School	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	10.7Lowest
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.