What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most affordable homes ($389k median).

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	Windham	Wakefield
People
Population	19,188Lowest	27,793Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±1.8Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.4±1.7Highest 9% above U.S.
	Wakefield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wakefield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wakefield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wakefield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,934±$14kLowest 34% above U.S.	$134,306±$14kHighest 66% above U.S.
	Wakefield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,900±$22kLowest 17% above U.S.	$723,500±$24kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,232±$332Lowest 13% below U.S.	$1,958±$102Highest 39% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S.	$7,779Highest 149% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±7.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wakefield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	19%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wakefield and Windham 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	#95 of 133 in ME	#179 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 14	Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical · Wakefield
High school in town	Windham High School	Northeast Metro Regional Vocational
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	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.