What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wilmington has the highest household income ($168k).

Chelmsford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Wilmington	Chelmsford
People
Population	23,336Lowest	36,446Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.3±2.2Highest 6% above MA	41.6±1.9Lowest 4% above MA
	Wilmington and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%	21.6%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Wilmington and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±1.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	18.1%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Chelmsford and Wilmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	52.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.3%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Chelmsford and Wilmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$168,152±$19kHighest 62% above MA	$140,629±$8kLowest 35% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,500±$19kHighest 21% above MA	$593,700±$17kLowest 6% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,394±$328Highest 36% above MA	$2,062±$151Lowest 17% above MA
	Wilmington and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,704Lowest 29% above MA	$8,047Highest 34% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.9%±2Highest MA: 51.8%	51.7%±10Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Wilmington and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest MA: 10%	4.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	82.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	28 minLowest 4% below MA
Work from home	19.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.8%±2.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Chelmsford and Wilmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#73 of 282 in MA	#79 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Chelmsford
High school in town	—	Chelmsford High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.