What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wellington has the most people working from home (28%).

Topsfield has the most kids (13.1% under 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	Wellington	Topsfield
People
Population	161Lowest	214Highest
Median age	63.6±8.6Highest 42% above ME	63.5±4.9Lowest 42% above ME
	Wellington and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.1%±16.1Lowest ME: 18.1%	13.1%±10.4Highest ME: 18.1%
	Topsfield and Wellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.8%±11.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	44.9%±12.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Topsfield and Wellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	14.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.2%±7.3Highest ME: 5.8%	0.9%±5.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Wellington and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$44,519±$4kLowest 40% below ME	$48,125±$16kHighest 36% below ME
	Topsfield and Wellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$133,700±$30kLowest 55% below ME	$141,700±$32kHighest 52% below ME
	Topsfield and Wellington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$933Lowest 69% below ME	$957Highest 68% below ME
Below poverty line	17.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	13.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	95.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 54% above ME	34 minLowest 39% above ME
Work from home	28%±10.9Highest ME: 15.9%	5.1%±6.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
Schools
School district	—	East Range CSD
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.