What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norton has the most affordable homes ($501k 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	Norton	Wakefield
People
Population	19,240Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.6±1.2Lowest about the MA average	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Wakefield and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	12.9%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,535±$11kLowest 20% above MA	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA
	Wakefield and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$501,400±$27kLowest 11% below MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,911±$375Lowest 8% above MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
	Wakefield and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,929Lowest about the MA average	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.6%±8.9Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Norton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%	4.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 12% above MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	19%±3.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Wakefield and Norton 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	#173 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Norton	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Norton High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	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.