What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Reading has the most people working from home (26.1%).

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	North Reading	Wolcott
People
Population	15,765Lowest	16,279Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43±2.8Lowest 11% above U.S.	44.4±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Wolcott and North Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.3%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	North Reading and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.7%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wolcott and North Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	37%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wolcott and North Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$147,768±$25kHighest 83% above U.S.	$110,850±$10kLowest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$710,500±$24kHighest 114% above U.S.	$326,200±$17kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,259±$356Highest 60% above U.S.	$1,464±$913Lowest 4% above U.S.
	North Reading and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,693Highest 211% above U.S.	$5,799Lowest 86% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75.5%±25.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	49.8%±24.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	North Reading and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	30 minLowest 13% above U.S.
Work from home	26.1%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#33 of 282 in MA	#76 of 149 in CT
School district	North Reading	Wolcott School District
High school in town	North Reading High	Wolcott High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1	10.1
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.