Compare towns
Wakefield vs Lawrence
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).
Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).
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.
| Measure | Wakefield | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 27,793Lowest |
88,736Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.7%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.4±1.7Highest 6% above MA |
32.6±0.9Lowest 19% below MA |
| Kids under 18 | 20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4% |
26.3%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 59.7%Highest MA: 47.3% |
16.8%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9% |
5.4%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Lawrence 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 |
$60,433±$3kLowest 42% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA |
$415,200±$23kLowest 26% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA |
$1,662±$50Lowest 6% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,779Highest 30% above MA |
$3,422Lowest 43% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8% |
60.6%±3.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
| Below poverty line | 4.9%Lowest MA: 10% |
17.6%Highest MA: 10% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 70.7%Highest MA: 62.5% |
28.1%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA |
1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 33 minHighest 14% above MA |
23 minLowest 21% below MA |
| Work from home | 24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #179 of 282 in MA | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield | Lawrence |
| High school in town | Northeast Metro Regional Vocational | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
13.6Highest |
| 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.