What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin Town has the most affordable homes ($612k 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	Franklin Town	Wakefield
People
Population	33,154Highest	27,793Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Franklin Town and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.7%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.3%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$145,773±$9kHighest 40% above MA	$134,306±$14kLowest 29% above MA
	Franklin Town and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$611,700±$17kLowest 9% above MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,899±$156Lowest 8% above MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
	Wakefield and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,044Lowest 18% above MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Franklin Town and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest MA: 10%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 12% above MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	22.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Wakefield and Franklin Town 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	#64 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Franklin · Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Franklin High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.