What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westbrook has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.6%).

Wakefield has the most expensive homes ($724k 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	Westbrook	Wakefield
People
Population	20,775Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.4±1Lowest 4% below U.S.	42.4±1.7Highest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield and Westbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.1%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield and Westbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,038±$7kLowest 5% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$383,300±$19kLowest 15% above U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,392±$74Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,005Lowest 28% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Westbrook and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 29% below U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#115 of 133 in ME	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	Westbrook Public Schools	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Westbrook High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	10.7Lowest
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.