What stands out worked out from the figures below

Walpole has the most people working from home (28.2%).

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Walpole	Wolcott
People
Population	26,388Highest	16,279Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	40.9±1.2Lowest 5% above U.S.	44.4±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Wolcott and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wolcott and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	37%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wolcott and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$171,500±$16kHighest 112% above U.S.	$110,850±$10kLowest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$687,100±$20kHighest 107% above U.S.	$326,200±$17kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,205±$222Highest 56% above U.S.	$1,464±$913Lowest 4% above U.S.
	Walpole and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,523Highest 173% above U.S.	$5,799Lowest 86% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49.8%±24.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wolcott and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	30 minLowest 13% above U.S.
Work from home	28.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#107 of 282 in MA	#76 of 149 in CT
School district	Norfolk County Agricultural · Walpole	Wolcott School District
High school in town	Walpole High	Wolcott High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	10.1Lowest
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.