What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wayland has the most expensive homes ($978k median).

Sutton has the most affordable homes ($523k 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	Wayland	Sutton
People
Population	13,914Highest	9,452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45±1.5Highest 13% above MA	44.3±2.5Lowest 11% above MA
	Wayland and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.3%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Wayland and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	18.8%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Sutton and Wayland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	78.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	52.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.3 MA: 7.9%	3.9%±1.8 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$224,000±$28kHighest 115% above MA	$147,125±$25kLowest 42% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$978,400±$36kHighest 74% above MA	$523,100±$47kLowest 7% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,475±$603Highest 16% below MA	$1,190±$401Lowest 32% below MA
	Wayland and Sutton 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	$6,763Lowest 13% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.8%±16Lowest MA: 51.8%	47.5%±24.4Highest MA: 51.8%
	Sutton 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%	5.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	30 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	35.1%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%	22.7%±4.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 282 in MA	#105 of 282 in MA
School district	Wayland	Sutton
High school in town	Wayland High School	Sutton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	12.6Highest
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.