What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Gardner has the most affordable homes ($302k 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	Gardner
People
Population	27,793Highest	21,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA
	Gardner and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Wakefield and Gardner 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%	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Gardner and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Gardner and Wakefield 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	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,779Highest 30% above MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Gardner and Wakefield 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%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 14% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#179 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield	Gardner
High school in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	13.5Highest
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.