What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.4%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	10,517Highest	9,452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.	44.3±2.5Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Scituate and Sutton 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%	19.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton 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%	18.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scituate and Sutton 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%	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Scituate and Sutton 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.	$147,125±$25kHighest 82% above U.S.
	Sutton 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.	$523,100±$47kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S.	$1,190±$401Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Scituate and Sutton 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.	$6,763Highest 117% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	47.5%±24.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Sutton 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%	5.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#17 of 38 in RI	#105 of 282 in MA
School district	Scituate	Sutton
High school in town	Scituate High School	Sutton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	12.6Highest
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.