What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the most affordable homes ($322k 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	Durham	Wakefield
People
Population	4,262Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±5.9Highest 10% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Durham and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Durham and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$99,181±$5kLowest 23% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,200±$34kLowest 3% below U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,958±$102 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,781Lowest 21% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25%±40.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wakefield and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	20.9%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wakefield and Durham 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	#14 of 133 in ME	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 05	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	None in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.