Compare towns
Pinehurst vs Wakefield vs Middleton
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Pinehurst has the most affordable homes ($624k median).
Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).
Middleton has the highest household income ($167k).
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.
| Measure | Pinehurst | Wakefield | Middleton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,845Lowest |
27,793Highest |
9,816 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+8.7% MA: +7.4% |
+8.8%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.6±2 7% above MA |
42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA |
43.1±2Highest 8% above MA |
| Middleton and Pinehurst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.8%±4.1 MA: 19.4% |
20%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
17.2%±3Lowest MA: 19.4% |
| Wakefield and Pinehurst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.1%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9% |
19%±1.9 MA: 17.9% |
18.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Pinehurst and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.2%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
59.7%Highest MA: 47.3% |
41.7% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.5%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9% |
4.4%±0.9 MA: 7.9% |
3.9%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9% |
| Pinehurst and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $146,250±$27k 41% above MA |
$134,306±$14kLowest 29% above MA |
$167,402±$29kHighest 61% above MA |
| Middleton and Pinehurst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $623,800±$22kLowest 11% above MA |
$723,500±$24k 29% above MA |
$742,700±$48kHighest 32% above MA |
| Middleton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,946±$1k 10% above MA |
$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA |
$1,407±$284Lowest 20% below MA |
| Wakefield and Pinehurst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $6,316Lowest 5% above MA |
$7,779 30% above MA |
$8,785Highest 47% above MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 32%±58.1 MA: 51.8% |
43.7%±7.9Highest MA: 51.8% |
25.7%±25.3Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Wakefield and Pinehurst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 2.9%Lowest MA: 10% |
4.9%Highest MA: 10% |
3.4% MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 97.4%Highest MA: 62.5% |
70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
92.7% MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1972 8 yrs newer than MA |
1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA |
1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minLowest 7% below MA |
33 minHighest 14% above MA |
30 min 3% above MA |
| Work from home | 13.1%±3.2 MA: 18.6% |
24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
12.5%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #179 of 282 in MA | #71 of 282 in MA |
| School district | — | Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield | Middleton |
| High school in town | — | Northeast Metro Regional Vocational | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.7 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.