What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wakefield has the highest household income ($134k).

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).

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	Wells
People
Population	27,793Highest	11,713Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±1.7Lowest 9% above U.S.	53.6±3.8Highest 38% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%	18%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	43.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wells 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 66% above U.S.	$88,024±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.	$485,300±$23kLowest 46% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.	$1,350±$297Lowest 4% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±7.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±19.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wakefield and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wakefield and Wells 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	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.