What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wakefield has the most renters (29.3% rent).

Swampscott has the most people working from home (27.2%).

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	Swampscott
People
Population	27,793Highest	15,277Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±1.7Lowest 6% above MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
	Swampscott 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%	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott and Wakefield 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%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott 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%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott 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	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA
	Swampscott and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,500±$24kLowest 29% above MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
	Swampscott and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,958±$102Lowest 11% above MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,779Lowest 30% above MA	$7,936Highest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±7.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott 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%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 14% above MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	24.6%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#179 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield	Swampscott
High school in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.7Highest
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.