What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northborough has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.2%).

Wakefield has the most expensive homes ($724k 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	Northborough	Wakefield
People
Population	15,750Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45±3Highest 13% above MA	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA
	Northborough and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northborough and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northborough and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,199±$19kHighest 47% above MA	$134,306±$14kLowest 29% above MA
	Northborough and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$620,000±$24kLowest 10% above MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,919±$269Lowest 9% above MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
	Wakefield and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,983Highest 33% above MA	$7,779Lowest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.1%±16.3Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northborough and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%	4.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 7% above MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	22.5%±5.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Wakefield and Northborough 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	#35 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Northborough · Northboro-Southboro	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Algonquin Regional High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	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.