What stands out worked out from the figures below

New Gloucester has the most affordable homes ($357k 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	New Gloucester	Wakefield
People
Population	5,766Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±5.5Lowest 3% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Highest 9% above U.S.
	Wakefield and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.2%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	New Gloucester and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wakefield and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,797±$12kLowest 35% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
	Wakefield and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$357,100±$29kLowest 7% above U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$249Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,417Lowest 10% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.7%±12Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wakefield and New Gloucester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 11 yrs newer than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	14.2%±6.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#65 of 133 in ME	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 15/MSAD 15	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.