What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the most affordable homes ($363k 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	Sutton	Wakefield
People
Population	2,239Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Sutton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,313±$31kLowest 61% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
	Wakefield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Lowest 17% above U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
	Wakefield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Lowest 145% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wakefield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than 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	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Kearsarge Regional School District	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	10.7Highest
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.