What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($376k median).

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).

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	Northfield	Wells
People
Population	2,872Lowest	11,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.9±4.2Lowest 26% above U.S.	53.6±3.8Highest 38% above U.S.
	Wells and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.8%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wells and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wells and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wells and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,375±$10kHighest 28% above U.S.	$88,024±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.
	Northfield and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$375,800±$31kLowest 13% above U.S.	$485,300±$23kHighest 46% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,142±$200Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,350±$297Highest 4% below U.S.
	Wells and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,594Highest 47% above U.S.	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.2%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±19.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northfield and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8% U.S.: 12.5%	6.8% U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 18 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 19% above U.S.	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	16.5%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wells and Northfield 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	#231 of 282 in MA	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	Pioneer Valley	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	Pioneer Valley Regional	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.4Highest
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.