What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wendell has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9%).

New Braintree has the highest household income ($100k).

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	Wendell	New Braintree
People
Population	850Lowest	973Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9%Highest MA: +7.4%	-0.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.1±8.8Lowest 18% above MA	47.8±4.6Highest 20% above MA
	New Braintree and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	20%±4.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	New Braintree and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.7%±5.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	25.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	New Braintree and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	41.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.9Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Wendell and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,288±$14kLowest 37% below MA	$99,500±$8kHighest 4% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$290,300±$31kLowest 48% below MA	$408,800±$27kHighest 27% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,239±$519Lowest 30% below MA	$1,484±$316Highest 16% below MA
	New Braintree and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,519Lowest 25% below MA	$5,508Highest 8% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.6%±40.8Highest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±51.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Wendell and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.3%Highest MA: 10%	7.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 17 yrs newer than MA	1987Highest 23 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 13% above MA	37 minHighest 26% above MA
Work from home	16.8%±7.8Highest MA: 18.6%	7.4%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Wendell and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	New Salem-Wendell	Quabbin
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.