Town comparison · Massachusetts

Norwell vs Pembroke

South Shore · South Shore

Norwell leads 3–2 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Norwell edges Pembroke 3 to 2 with 1 tie. Median homes in Pembroke run roughly $360k cheaper than in Norwell, about 36% less. Schools tilt clearly toward Norwell (90 vs. 75).

The two towns at a glance

Norwell

South Shore · pop. 11,258

Norwell trades walkability for space: large lots, top-tier schools, and trail access through the North River watershed without a single traffic light on the main road.

Default fit score

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Full Norwell profile →

Pembroke

South Shore · pop. 18,361

Pembroke is the South Shore's sensible middle: decent schools, sub-$700K entry, and MBTA commuter rail access to Boston at Kingston station five minutes away.

Default fit score

equal weights, 0–100

Full Pembroke profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

	Norwell	Pembroke
Headline
Livability index	55 ✦	48
Economics
Median home	$1.00M ✦	$642k
Household income	$189k ✦	$141k
Price ÷ income	5.3× ✦	4.5×
Tax burden	58 ✦	52
Schools & Safety
Schools	90 ✦	75
Safety	93 ✦	83
Getting around
Commute to Boston	38 min	42 min ✦
Walkability	14	16 ✦
Transit	10	20 ✦
Biking	18	18
Lifestyle
Dining	42 ✦	40
Nightlife	18	18
Arts & culture	30 ✦	25
Green space	50 ✦	32
Community
Diversity	20	26 ✦
Climate	64	66 ✦
5-yr trend	72 ✦	62

Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.

Compare on your terms

These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Norwell vs Pembroke in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

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About this comparison

Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.