What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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	Dalton	Wakefield
People
Population	6,256Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA
	Dalton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wakefield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wakefield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest MA: 10%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7% MA: 62.5%	70.7% MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Highest 7 yrs older than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 24% below MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#192 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Central Berkshire	—
High school in town	Wahconah Regional High	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.