What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wakefield has the most people working from home (24.6%).

Peabody has the shortest commute (26 min average).

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	Peabody
People
Population	27,793Lowest	54,695Highest
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	45.3±2.4Highest 13% above MA
	Peabody 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%	18.7%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Wakefield and Peabody 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%	24.3%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	35%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.9 MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.8 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,306±$14kHighest 29% above MA	$96,657±$4kLowest 7% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,500±$24kHighest 29% above MA	$596,200±$12kLowest 6% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,958±$102Highest 11% above MA	$1,950±$99Lowest 11% above MA
	Wakefield and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,779Highest 30% above MA	$5,065Lowest 15% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%	7.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 14% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	24.6%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#179 of 282 in MA	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield	Peabody
High school in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	10.3Lowest
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.