What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Thomaston	Wakefield
People
Population	7,492Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±7.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Highest 9% above U.S.
	Wakefield and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Thomaston and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,218±$15kLowest 28% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,915Lowest 90% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 149 in CT	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Thomaston School District	—
High school in town	Thomaston High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7	—
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.