What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Andover has the highest household income ($173k).

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	Wakefield	Andover
People
Population	27,793Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA	42.9±1Highest 7% above MA
	Andover and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.6%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Andover and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%	16%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	75.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	8.1%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,306±$14kLowest 29% above MA	$172,606±$16kHighest 66% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,500±$24kLowest 29% above MA	$855,600±$22kHighest 52% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,958±$102Lowest 11% above MA	$2,201±$129Highest 25% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,779Lowest 30% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±7.9Highest MA: 51.8%	39.7%±7.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Wakefield and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Highest MA: 10%	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	79.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 14% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	24.6%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.4%±2.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#179 of 282 in MA	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.