What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oxford has the most affordable homes ($472k median).

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	Oxford	Wakefield
People
Population	12,991Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.2±5.7Highest 16% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Oxford and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Oxford and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Oxford and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wakefield and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$128,953±$23kLowest 60% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
	Wakefield and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$472,400±$20kLowest 42% above U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,415±$87Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,442Lowest 107% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.3%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wakefield and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	14.4%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#78 of 149 in CT	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Oxford School District	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Oxford High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1Lowest	10.7Highest
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.