What stands out worked out from the figures below

Coventry has the most affordable homes ($356k median).

Wakefield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.7%).

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	Coventry	Wakefield
People
Population	35,907Highest	27,793Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44±1.1Highest 13% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Coventry and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±1.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Coventry and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Coventry and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,946±$8kLowest 28% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$356,200±$11kLowest 7% above U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,206±$155Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,099Lowest 63% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±11.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Coventry and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	11.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#24 of 38 in RI	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Coventry	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Coventry High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Highest	10.7Lowest
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.