What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stoughton has the most affordable homes ($524k 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	Stoughton	Wakefield
People
Population	29,225Highest	27,793Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.7±1.9Highest 14% above MA	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA
	Stoughton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.5%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	20%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Wakefield and Stoughton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	19%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Stoughton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Stoughton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,794±$6kLowest about the MA average	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,800±$28kLowest 7% below MA	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,050±$200Highest 16% above MA	$1,958±$102Lowest 11% above MA
	Stoughton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,215Lowest 4% above MA	$7,779Highest 30% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.4%±7.1Highest MA: 51.8%	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	8.4%Highest MA: 10%	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 15% above MA	33 minLowest 14% above MA
Work from home	15.4%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#196 of 282 in MA	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Stoughton	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Stoughton High	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	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.