What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Andover has the youngest population (median age 39.6).

Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	North Andover	Wakefield
People
Population	31,490Highest	27,793Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.6±2Lowest about the MA average	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield and North Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±2.1Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	North Andover and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield and North Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,670±$9kHighest 35% above MA	$134,306±$14kLowest 29% above MA
	North Andover and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$732,900±$37kHighest 30% above MA	$723,500±$24kLowest 29% above MA
	North Andover and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,223±$223Highest 26% above MA	$1,958±$102Lowest 11% above MA
	North Andover and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,767Lowest 30% above MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53%±9Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	North Andover and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.4%Highest MA: 10%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 9% above MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	20.3%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Wakefield and North Andover 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	#98 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	North Andover	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	North Andover High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	13.3Highest	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.