What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wayland has the highest household income ($224k).

Framingham has the most renters (45.2% rent).

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	Wayland	Framingham
People
Population	13,914Lowest	72,399Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45±1.5Highest 13% above MA	37.5±1Lowest 6% below MA
Kids under 18	24.3%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%	21.7%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Wayland and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.1Highest MA: 17.9%	15.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	78.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	48.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$224,000±$28kHighest 115% above MA	$107,419±$6kLowest 3% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$978,400±$36kHighest 74% above MA	$627,300±$10kLowest 12% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,475±$603Lowest 16% below MA	$2,033±$57Highest 15% above MA
	Framingham and Wayland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$6,884Lowest 15% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.8%±16Lowest MA: 51.8%	53.4%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Framingham and Wayland 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%	10.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	54.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	30 minLowest 4% above MA
Work from home	35.1%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 282 in MA	#229 of 282 in MA
School district	Wayland	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Wayland High School	Framingham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	12.7Highest
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.