What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scituate has the shortest commute (31 min average).

Sturbridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).

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	Sturbridge
People
Population	10,517Highest	9,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.	47.2±2.6Lowest 21% above U.S.
	Scituate and Sturbridge 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%	20.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sturbridge 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%	19.8%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scituate and Sturbridge 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%	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sturbridge 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.	$136,759±$15kHighest 69% above U.S.
	Sturbridge 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±$26kHighest 35% above U.S.	$425,800±$18kLowest 28% above U.S.
	Scituate and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S.	$1,193±$398Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Scituate and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,265Lowest 69% above U.S.	$6,520Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Sturbridge 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%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.	38 minHighest 43% above U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sturbridge 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	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Scituate	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Scituate High School	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	7.7Lowest
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.