What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rockland has the most affordable homes ($473k 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	Rockland	Wakefield
People
Population	17,701Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	40.7±3.3Lowest about the MA average	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.2%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Rockland and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wakefield and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,405±$12kLowest 8% above MA	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA
	Wakefield and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$472,900±$21kLowest 16% below MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,610±$255Lowest 9% below MA	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA
	Wakefield and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,487Lowest 8% above MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.7%±10.4Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Rockland and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.5%Highest MA: 10%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 min 14% above MA	33 min 14% above MA
Work from home	14.7%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#175 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Rockland	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Rockland Senior High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	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.