What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dudley has the most affordable homes ($393k median).

Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	Dudley	Wakefield
People
Population	11,929Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.4%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Dudley and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest MA: 10%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 6% below MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#142 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Shepherd Hill Regional High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	10.7Lowest
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.