What stands out worked out from the figures below

Grafton has the most affordable homes ($525k 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	Grafton	Wakefield
People
Population	19,902Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.1±1.6Lowest about the MA average	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.5%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Grafton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Grafton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$131,484±$11kLowest 26% above MA	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA
	Wakefield and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$525,300±$37kLowest 7% below MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,504±$169Lowest 15% below MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,117Lowest 19% above MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±12.5Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Grafton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.3%Highest MA: 10%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 13 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 13% above MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	22.4%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Wakefield and Grafton 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	#67 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Grafton	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Grafton High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	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.