What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlesex has the most people working from home (28.4%).

Wakefield has the most affordable homes ($323k 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	Middlesex	Wakefield
People
Population	1,943Lowest	5,405Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.4±3.9Lowest 14% above U.S.	49.4±4.1Highest 27% above U.S.
	Wakefield and Middlesex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Middlesex and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Middlesex and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,632±$13kHighest 36% above U.S.	$100,976±$11kLowest 25% above U.S.
	Middlesex and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$376,300±$40kHighest 13% above U.S.	$322,800±$43kLowest about the U.S. average
	Middlesex and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,333±$359Lowest 6% below U.S.	$1,375±$434Highest about the U.S. average
	Wakefield and Middlesex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,483Highest 108% above U.S.	$2,954Lowest 5% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 U.S.: 51.1%	0%±82.9 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.	36 minHighest 35% above U.S.
Work from home	28.4%±10.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Middlesex and Wakefield 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	—	#118 of 120 in NH
School district	Washington Central Unified Union School District #92	Wakefield School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.