What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lexington has the highest household income ($238k).

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	Lexington
People
Population	27,793Lowest	34,295Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA	47.3±0.8Highest 18% above MA
Kids under 18	20%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	25.5%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	19%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.7%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Lexington 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	84.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Wakefield and Lexington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,306±$14kLowest 29% above MA	$238,444±$18kHighest 129% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,500±$24kLowest 29% above MA	$1,203,100±$35kHighest 114% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,958±$102Lowest 11% above MA	$2,891±$233Highest 64% 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%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	50.1%±7.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lexington and Wakefield 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%	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	80.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA	1965Highest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 14% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	24.6%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	36.7%±3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#179 of 282 in MA	#2 of 282 in MA
School district	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield	Lexington
High school in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational	Lexington High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.4Highest
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.