What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k 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	Needham
People
Population	27,793Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA	43.1±1.6Highest 8% above MA
	Needham 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%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	19%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Wakefield and Needham 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%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Needham 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±$14kLowest 29% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,500±$24kLowest 29% above MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,958±$102Lowest 11% above MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% 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%	55.9%±8.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Needham 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%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%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	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	24.6%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#179 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield	Needham
High school in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.