What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has the most affordable homes ($336k 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	Standish	Wakefield
People
Population	10,662Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Highest 9% above U.S.
	Wakefield and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kLowest 30% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kLowest about the U.S. average	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 133 in ME	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	10.7Lowest
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.