What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has the most expensive homes ($1265k 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	Newton	Wakefield
People
Population	89,044Highest	27,793Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±0.9Lowest 5% above MA	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Newton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±0.9Highest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Newton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.1%±0.7Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$190,304±$9kHighest 83% above MA	$134,306±$14kLowest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,264,900±$43kHighest 125% above MA	$723,500±$24kLowest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,370±$81Highest 35% above MA	$1,958±$102Lowest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$7,779Lowest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±4.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wakefield and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%	4.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA	1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 9% below MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	32.2%±2Highest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#25 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Newton	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Newton North High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.