What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chaplin has the most affordable homes ($255k median).

Wakefield has the most expensive homes ($724k median).

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	Chaplin	Wakefield
People
Population	2,070Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±4.8Highest 12% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Chaplin and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Chaplin and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.1%±6.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chaplin and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,846±$14kLowest 21% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$255,200±$24kLowest 23% below U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,473±$275Lowest 4% above U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,524Lowest 45% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.6%±27.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wakefield and Chaplin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 23% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	18.1%±10Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wakefield and Chaplin 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	—	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Chaplin School District · Regional School District 11	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Parish Hill High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	7.5Lowest	10.7Highest
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.