What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).

Scituate has the most people working from home (13.3%).

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	Townsend	Scituate
People
Population	9,100Lowest	10,517Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	49.9±4Highest 28% above U.S.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	14.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.7Lowest 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	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.	$112,315±$23kLowest 39% above U.S.
	Townsend and Scituate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kLowest 30% above U.S.	$449,300±$26kHighest 35% 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	$1,469±$313Lowest 4% above U.S.	$1,489±$251Highest 5% above U.S.
	Scituate and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.	$5,265Lowest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.6%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Scituate and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Scituate and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA	#17 of 38 in RI
School district	North Middlesex	Scituate
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Scituate High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	10.8Lowest
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.