What stands out worked out from the figures below

Huntington has the highest household income ($94k).

Wales has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.3%).

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	Huntington	Wales
People
Population	2,220Highest	1,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-0.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±3Highest 12% above MA	42.3±4.7Lowest 6% above MA
	Huntington and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.1%±5.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Wales and Huntington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±4Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.2%±2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wales and Huntington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	22.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.2Highest MA: 7.9%	3.3%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Huntington and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,398±$6kHighest 9% below MA	$89,006±$6kLowest 14% below MA
	Huntington and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$293,100±$30kLowest 48% below MA	$296,200±$26kHighest 47% below MA
	Wales and Huntington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,334±$105Highest 24% below MA	$1,104±$242Lowest 37% below MA
	Huntington and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,740Highest 21% below MA	$4,534Lowest 24% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±32.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	58%±20.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wales and Huntington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest MA: 10%	5.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 15% above MA	35 minHighest 19% above MA
Work from home	10.7%±5.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	13.6%±5.7Highest MA: 18.6%
	Wales and Huntington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Gateway	Wales
High school in town	Gateway Regional School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	7.7	—
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.