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CITY

Wakefield

Massachusetts · 27,793 residents · 7.39 sq mi
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The short version

With 27,793 people, Wakefield is a city in Massachusetts. 60% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $723,500. Few US cities rank higher on income. The median household earns $134,306, about 63% above the national median. There are 3,759 people per square mile.

At a glance
Wealthier
median household income $134,306, above the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 42.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
60% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 65%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Wakefield

What changed most since 1990

  • Adults with a bachelor's degree26.0% → 59.7% (+33.7 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
  • White share98.0% → 85.5% (−12.5 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts

Among the 128 cities and towns in the Boston metro

  • 45th in household income$134,306
  • 44th in share with a bachelor's degree59.7%
  • 41st in home value$723,500
  • 78th in diversity score32.8
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
27,793
+12%since 2000
from 24,804 in 2000
1990 – 2024
Population density
3,759 / sq mi
+12%since 2000
from 3,355 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
42.4
+9%since 2000
from 38.9 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
7.39 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
24K25K26K27K28K19902000201020202024Wakefield
202428K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.3%(1,742)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.8%(1,601)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.9%(1,354)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 194.5%(1,253)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 244.4%(1,218)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.6%(3,793)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.7%(4,080)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.6%(3,496)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6414.3%(3,988)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.5%(2,932)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 846%(1,679)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.4%(657)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$134,306
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $66,117 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$67,454
+122%since 2000
from $30,369 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
74.7%
+17.7 ptssince 2009
from 57.1% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
4.9%
+1.8 ptssince 2000
from 3.1% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.414
+10%since 2010
from 0.376 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services9.8%
US avg: 6.7%
Retail trade8.9%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration7.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade7.6%
US avg: 6.9%
Information7.4%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance3.4%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical2.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$723,500
+65%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $240,300 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,958
+35%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $795 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
70.7%
−1.3 ptssince 2000
from 72.0% in 2000
29.3% rent
Vacancy rate
4.1%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 5.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.43 people
−4%since 2009
from 2.52 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
25.7%
−5.8 ptssince 2009
from 31.6% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
41.4%
+4.5 ptssince 2009
from 36.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
5.4
+11%since 2009
from 4.9 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
64
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic96.4%(23,902)
Black0.4%(106)
Hispanic / Latino0.8%(204)
Asian1.4%(353)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic85.5%(23,757)
Black0.7%(192)
Hispanic / Latino2.7%(755)
Asian5.7%(1,588)
Other5.4%(1,501)
Diversity Score
33
+177%since 2009
from 12 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Dominican0.9%(251)
Cuban0.4%(114)
Puerto Rican0.3%(91)
Colombian0.3%(82)
Salvadoran0.1%(37)
Peruvian0.1%(33)
Spaniard0.1%(25)
Mexican0.1%(18)
Guatemalan0.1%(18)
+ 1 more hispanic origin group with data
Asian origin
Asian Indian2.2%(625)
Chinese2%(563)
Vietnamese0.4%(98)
Korean0.3%(79)
Nepalese0.2%(58)
Taiwanese0.1%(39)
Japanese0.1%(25)
Indonesian0.1%(21)
Ancestry
Irish31.9%(8,859)
Italian23.5%(6,523)
English12.3%(3,427)
German5.9%(1,629)
Polish4.3%(1,197)
French3.1%(853)
American2.1%(597)
Swedish1.9%(525)
Portuguese1.7%(483)
Scottish1.3%(355)
Greek1.2%(328)
+ 33 more ancestry groups with data
Brazilian1.1%(302)
Canadian0.9%(251)
Lithuanian0.9%(246)
Ukrainian0.8%(221)
Arab0.7%(201)
Russian0.7%(193)
West Indian0.6%(165)
Norwegian0.5%(139)
Belgian0.4%(115)
Dutch0.4%(113)
Armenian0.4%(110)
Jamaican0.3%(95)
Welsh0.3%(90)
Croatian0.3%(87)
Lebanese0.3%(86)
Moroccan0.2%(68)
Haitian0.2%(65)
Iranian0.2%(54)
Slovak0.2%(48)
British0.1%(39)
Finnish0.1%(27)
Austrian0.1%(22)
Romanian0.1%(22)
Danish0.1%(21)
Czech0.1%(19)
Cape Verdean0.1%(17)
Swiss0.1%(16)
Hungarian0.1%(14)
Syrian0%(10)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
59.7%
+20.0 ptssince 2000
from 39.7% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
96.4%
+5.8 ptssince 2000
from 90.6% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
24.8%
+10.2 ptssince 2000
from 14.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
33.2 min
+72%since 2000
from 19.3 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
59.8%
−17.7 ptssince 2009
from 77.5% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
6.8%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 8.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
6.2%
−4.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.4% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
24.6%
+22.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.5% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.2%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.3% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
3.9%
−2.4 ptssince 2009
from 6.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.4%
−3.6 ptssince 2011
from 7.9% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
70.6%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 74.8% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
85.4%
+1.1 ptssince 2020
from 84.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
14.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
62.5%
+14.2 ptssince 2009
from 48.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.1%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 49.1% in 2009
Female
49.9%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 50.9% in 2009
Foreign born
10.7%
+5.1 ptssince 2009
from 5.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
2.9%
−6.8 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.0%
+2.2 ptssince 2012
from 8.8% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
1.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2013
from 2.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.0%
+6.2 ptssince 2017
from 87.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.7%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 93.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
92.2%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 90.2% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
87.4%
−1.7 ptssince 2016
from 89.1% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
1.7%
−1.4 ptssince 2016
from 3.2% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married31.8%(3,663)
Married58%(6,676)
Widowed3.7%(426)
Divorced6.5%(748)
Women 15+
Never married24.5%(2,838)
Married56.9%(6,592)
Widowed7.8%(908)
Divorced10.7%(1,245)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
1.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2013
from 2.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
77.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 77.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
12.7%
−3.5 ptssince 2020
from 16.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
18.9%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 17.5% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
10.1%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 9.5% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.1%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.3% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
86.2%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 87.0% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
26.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 25.0% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.2%(111)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)14.5%(94)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era29.4%(190)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War17.9%(116)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 647 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time

Wakefield, decade by decade

Wakefield population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
199024,825$105,507$453,61326.0%4.9
200024,804$120,442$437,74439.7%8.9
201024,932$128,387$599,74047.6%16.8
202027,090$125,684$676,07553.6%32.6
202427,793$134,306$723,50059.7%32.8

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Wakefield to nearby cities

WAKEFIELD VS
Lynnfield
Income$175,265+30%
Home value$917,600+27%
Population13,064−53%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKEFIELD VS
Stoneham
Income$113,964−15%
Home value$671,900−7%
Population23,355−16%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKEFIELD VS
Reading
Income$165,912+24%
Home value$809,000+12%
Population25,612−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
WAKEFIELD VS
Melrose
Income$133,953same
Home value$822,900+14%
Population29,597+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Wakefield, Massachusetts?

Wakefield, Massachusetts has about 27,793 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Wakefield, Massachusetts?

The typical household in Wakefield, Massachusetts earns about $134,306 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Wakefield, Massachusetts expensive?

In Wakefield, Massachusetts, the median home is worth about $723,500, and the typical rent is about $1,958 a month.

How educated are people in Wakefield, Massachusetts?

About 59.7% of adults age 25 and over in Wakefield, Massachusetts hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Wakefield, Massachusetts?

About 4.9% of people in Wakefield, Massachusetts live below the federal poverty line.

Has Wakefield, Massachusetts grown since 1990?

Yes, Wakefield, Massachusetts has grown since 1990. The population has added about 2,968 residents, a change of about 12 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →