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	Wilmington	Chelmsford
High school in town	Wilmington High	Chelmsford High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Lowest	14.0Highest
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.