What stands out worked out from the figures below

Scituate has the oldest population (median age 49.9).

Wilbraham 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Scituate	Wilbraham
People
Population	10,517Lowest	14,572Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.	44.3±2.7Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Scituate and Wilbraham 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%	23.2%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	23%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Scituate and Wilbraham 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%	51.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wilbraham 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.	$122,051±$14kHighest 51% above U.S.
	Wilbraham 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.	$416,000±$25kLowest 25% above U.S.
	Scituate and Wilbraham 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.	$1,175±$241Lowest 17% below U.S.
	Scituate and Wilbraham 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.	$6,658Highest 113% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	53.1%±23.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Wilbraham 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%	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966 14 yrs older than U.S.	1966 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	13.3%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.9%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Scituate and Wilbraham 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	#88 of 282 in MA
School district	Scituate	Hampden-Wilbraham
High school in town	Scituate High School	Minnechaug Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	14.2Highest
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.