CitytisticsShortlist

North Scituate, MA vs Woodside, CA

North Scituate

Massachusetts

vs

Woodside

California

Across 33 directional measures we can compare, North Scituate leads on 20 and Woodside on 13. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 119% higher in Woodside, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,595$3,501
North Scituate is 54% lower
Median household income
$140,329$250,001
North Scituate is 44% lower
Median home value
$824,800$2,000,001
North Scituate is 59% lower

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $121,100 a year left in North Scituate and $209,200 in Woodside. Money goes further in Woodside, by about $88,100 a year.
  • A household earning North Scituate's median of $140,329 would need about $162,500 in Woodside to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2021 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 7.4 points a year in North Scituate, and rent outran pay by 9.4 points a year in Woodside.

How these are calculated

MassachusettsCaliforniaWoodside, CANorth Scituate, MANorth ScituateWoodsideNorth ScituateWoodside

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Woodside, CAComposite 59.9 / 100
76
427698n/a28772
02North Scituate, MAComposite 56.9 / 100
69
557597n/a742n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureNorth ScituateWoodsideAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,595$3,501
Rent to income113.6%16.8%
Property tax rate11.0%n/a
Home price to income15.9x8.0x
Prices vs US average2108.3115.6
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$2,409$3,697
HUD area median income4n/a$200,800
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$8,601$10,001
Median home value1$824,800$2,000,001
Home prices, 1-year change54.4%-0.6%
Home prices, 5-year change553.4%22.5%
Homeownership188.9%87.4%
Renters paying 30%+177.8%68.4%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,593$4,001
Vacant homes16.9%13.5%
Median year built119621965
Jobs and income
Median household income1$140,329$250,001
Income per person1$69,923$163,375
Unemployment14.5%4.8%
Average annual pay6$72,763$214,295
Pay growth, 1 year64.2%9.1%
Jobs6197,448411,346
Poverty rate12.9%4.5%
Mean commute135 min29 min
Works from home127.9%30.5%
Commutes by transit16.5%5.1%
People
Population16,4925,126
Population change since 20207n/a-2.5%
Median age142.346.4
Bachelor's or higher173.3%76.2%
High school or higher199.2%99.0%
Household size12.92.9
Born abroad111.2%15.4%
No health insurance12.5%3.8%
Homes with broadband196.3%99.0%
Moving
Moved here in the past year15.4%7.4%
Moved from another state10.0%5.5%
Net movers per 1,000 people81.4-10.7
Income of households moving in8$100,857$167,342
Income of households moving out8$91,203$186,435
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k921.227.2
Shops per 10k933.824.6
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k95.94.7
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k915.823.5
Child care centers per 10k92.94.8
Parks per 10k1016.99.8
Playgrounds per 10k1023.123.4
Grocery stores per 10k100.03.9
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k104.625.4
Libraries per 10k103.13.9
Named paths and bike trails100.018.6
Transit stops per sq mi101.10.6
Nearest National Park Service site116.728.1
National Park Service sites within 60 miles11169
National Register listings121485
Schools
Public schools131383
Public school students1376,3212,091
Students per teacher1313.115.4
Climate
July average high1483°F74°F
January average low1421°F42°F
Average temperature1451°F57°F
Annual precipitation1450.6 in28.7 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1590.499.2
Hurricane risk1590.7n/a
Tornado risk1548.230.6
Wildfire risk1553.892.0
Heat wave risk1583.991.6
Median air quality index1637n/a
Good air days1684.4%n/a

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: North Scituate $63,800, Woodside $140,040 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

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