Population 27,273 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Wakefield
Household size in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.47 | 2.54 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.56 | 2.59 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.51 | 2.60 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.46 | 2.55 | 2.52 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.00 | +0.01 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Wakefield run small, averaging 2.46 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. Households are largest in the southeast and smallest in the center.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 42.5 | 38.9 | 39.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 42.8 | 39.7 | 40.1 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 44.8 | 40.4 | 41.0 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 42.2 | 40.8 | 41.4 | 40.1 |
| Change | −0.3 | +1.9 | +2.0 | +2.3 |
Wakefield skews a little older than the country: its median age is 42.2, against 40.1 nationally. The Boston area as a whole looks much the same. The median age has edged down from 42.5 in 2006–10, even as the national median rose.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.0% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 6.2% | 10.2% | 11.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 6.9% | 9.6% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.5% | 9.7% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.5 pts | −0.7 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Wakefield: 5.5% of households, against 11.6% nationally. Wakefield has a lower share of single-parent households than the great majority of Massachusetts cities.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Wakefield
Renters in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 23.6% | 36.8% | 36.0% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 25.7% | 38.5% | 37.7% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 24.9% | 38.3% | 37.6% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 28.6% | 38.4% | 37.5% | 34.8% |
| Change | +4.9 pts | +1.6 pts | +1.5 pts | +1.5 pts |
Nearly three in ten households in Wakefield rent their homes (28.6%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. Among homeowners, 28.2% have no mortgage at all, well below the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the center; owners are most common in the north. The renter share has risen 4.9 points since 2006–10, a much bigger shift than nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.5% | 8.1% | 9.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.0% | 7.4% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.0% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 6.2% | 6.7% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | −2.3 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.6 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy is on the low side in Wakefield: 6.2% of homes sit empty, against 9.6% nationally, which points to steady demand for housing. The picture is much the same across the Boston area. Since 2006–10, vacancy has fallen 2.3 points, mirroring the country.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1950 | 1958 | 1958 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1951 | 1959 | 1959 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1957 | 1961 | 1961 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1956 | 1964 | 1963 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +6 | +5 | +6 |
Wakefield is a place of older homes: half were built before 1956, while the national median is 1980. That means established neighborhoods, and more houses that may need updating. The median year built has moved up from 1950 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the northeast, the oldest in the west.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $1,168 | $1,171 | $1,085 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $1,162 | $1,251 | $1,157 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,410 | $1,537 | $1,398 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $2,117 | $2,051 | $1,860 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$949 | +$881 | +$775 | +$606 |
Rent in Wakefield runs $2,117 a month at the median, utilities included, well above the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $949 a month since 2006–10, up 81%, faster than rents rose nationally. The typical renter here spends 29.5% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. Renters on a budget will find the lowest rents in the north; the highest are in the south.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Wakefield
Bachelor's degrees in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 47.1% | 42.2% | 38.5% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 45.1% | 44.1% | 40.1% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 51.4% | 48.2% | 43.6% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 59.7% | 51.9% | 47.2% | 35.6% |
| Change | +12.7 pts | +9.7 pts | +8.7 pts | +7.2 pts |
Wakefield is highly educated: about six in ten adults 25 and older (59.7%) hold at least a bachelor's degree, far above the national share of 35.6%. Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 12.7 points, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the west and least in the center.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 95.1% | 89.8% | 88.4% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 94.3% | 90.6% | 89.3% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 94.5% | 91.5% | 90.5% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 96.2% | 91.8% | 91.0% | 89.3% |
| Change | +1.1 pts | +2.1 pts | +2.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion is high in Wakefield: 96.2% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%. The share with a diploma has edged up 1.1 points since 2006–10, a smaller shift than nationally.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Wakefield
| Period | Wakefield | Boston area | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.0% | 7.0% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 6.6% | 8.0% | 8.7% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.2% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.3% | 4.9% | 5.2% | 5.4% |
| Change | −1.7 pts | −2.1 pts | −2.3 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little easier to find in Wakefield than nationally: unemployment was 4.3%, against 5.4%. Since 2006–10, unemployment has fallen 1.7 points, mirroring the country. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Wakefield compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield | 2.46 | 42.2 | 5.5% | 28.6% | 6.2% | 1956 | $2,117 | 59.7% | 96.2% | 4.3% |
| Stoneham | 2.46 | 43.1 | 8.0% | 29.0% | 5.2% | 1963 | $2,014 | 56.8% | 95.6% | 2.0% |
| Lynnfield | 2.90 | 40.7 | 6.6% | 15.3% | 4.4% | 1968 | $2,516 | 62.2% | 98.4% | 3.2% |
| Reading | 2.61 | 44.6 | 6.5% | 18.4% | 3.5% | 1962 | $2,054 | 66.9% | 96.6% | 3.3% |
| Melrose | 2.44 | 44.6 | 6.4% | 32.8% | 4.0% | 1947 | $2,138 | 63.2% | 95.6% | 3.3% |
| Saugus | 2.60 | 45.1 | 4.8% | 28.2% | 6.5% | 1964 | $2,164 | 30.4% | 90.9% | 3.7% |
| Woburn | 2.58 | 39.8 | 7.7% | 44.5% | 5.6% | 1968 | $2,208 | 46.3% | 94.7% | 7.5% |
| Malden | 2.57 | 36.9 | 10.4% | 58.7% | 8.9% | 1955 | $2,246 | 46.0% | 85.9% | 4.7% |
| Winchester | 2.82 | 43.4 | 6.6% | 18.3% | 3.0% | 1952 | $2,573 | 79.9% | 97.0% | 3.9% |
| North Reading | 2.75 | 42.8 | 8.4% | 15.1% | 3.1% | 1978 | $2,512 | 58.0% | 97.5% | 3.2% |
| Peabody | 2.50 | 47.5 | 9.0% | 34.4% | 4.4% | 1966 | $1,999 | 35.0% | 90.4% | 5.1% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Madisonville, KY · Hernando, MS · Holbrook, NY · Homer Glen, IL · Imperial Beach, CA · Inkster, MI · Kelso, WA · Lithia Springs, GA · Lodi, NJ · Hazelwood, MO
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Wakefield. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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