Compare towns
Scituate vs Townsend vs Foster
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 shortest commute (31 min average).
Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).
Foster has the most people working from home (17.7%).
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 | Townsend | Foster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,517Highest |
9,100 |
4,523Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S. |
40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S. |
47.1±3 21% above U.S. |
| Scituate and Foster 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% |
21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
18.7%±4.4 U.S.: 22% |
| Townsend and Foster 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% |
17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
18.5%±3.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Scituate and Foster 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% |
35.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.2%±1.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.1%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Townsend 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. |
$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S. |
$113,646±$18k 41% above U.S. |
| Townsend and Foster 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. |
$433,200±$22k 30% above U.S. |
$425,300±$30kLowest 28% above U.S. |
| Scituate and Townsend 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. |
$1,469±$313Lowest 4% above U.S. |
$1,509±$556Highest 7% above U.S. |
| Foster and Scituate 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. |
$6,031 93% above U.S. |
$7,135Highest 129% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 59.6%±25.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
65.8%±25.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Foster and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
91.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 31 minLowest 16% above U.S. |
37 minHighest 41% above U.S. |
33 min 26% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 13.3%±5.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
17.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Foster 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 | #136 of 282 in MA | #22 of 38 in RI |
| School district | Scituate | North Middlesex | Foster |
| High school in town | Scituate High School | North Middlesex Regional | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.8Lowest |
13.1Highest |
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| 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.