What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shrewsbury has the most affordable homes ($592k median).

Wakefield has the most expensive homes ($724k median).

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	Shrewsbury	Wakefield
People
Population	38,876Highest	27,793Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	40.6±1.5Lowest about the MA average	42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA
	Wakefield and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Shrewsbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±1.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.6%Highest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Shrewsbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$139,302±$11kHighest 34% above MA	$134,306±$14kLowest 29% above MA
	Shrewsbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$592,300±$20kLowest 5% above MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,116±$98Highest 20% above MA	$1,958±$102Lowest 11% above MA
	Shrewsbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,923Lowest 16% above MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.2%±6.9Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Shrewsbury and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%	4.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 6% above MA	33 minHighest 14% above MA
Work from home	26.3%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Shrewsbury and Wakefield 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	#30 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Shrewsbury	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Shrewsbury High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	14.4Highest	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.