What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wakefield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.7%).

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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	Wakefield	Dalton
People
Population	27,793Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
	Dalton 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%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Wakefield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,779Highest 30% above MA	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±7.9Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Wakefield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%	7.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7% MA: 62.5%	70.7% MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA	1957Highest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 14% above MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#179 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	10.9Highest
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.