What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wilmington has the most people working from home (19.7%).

Methuen has the most affordable homes ($500k 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	Wilmington	Methuen
People
Population	23,336Lowest	53,475Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	42.3±2.2Highest 6% above MA	39.9±1.7Lowest about the MA average
	Wilmington and Methuen 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%	21.3%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Wilmington and Methuen 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%	17.2%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Methuen 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%Highest MA: 47.3%	31%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.7%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$168,152±$19kHighest 62% above MA	$113,310±$7kLowest 9% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$680,500±$19kHighest 21% above MA	$499,700±$17kLowest 11% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,394±$328Highest 36% above MA	$1,749±$91Lowest about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,704Highest 29% above MA	$5,061Lowest 16% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.9%±2Highest MA: 51.8%	48.4%±6.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest MA: 10%	7.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	72.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	19.7%±2.3Highest MA: 18.6%	12.2%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#73 of 282 in MA	#236 of 282 in MA
School district	Wilmington	Methuen
High school in town	Wilmington High	Methuen High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Lowest	13.1Highest
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.