Wakefield is a medium-sized town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 27,069 people and five associated neighborhoods, Wakefield is the 73rd largest community in Massachusetts.
Housing costs in Wakefield are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.
Also of interest is that Wakefield has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
A relatively large number of people in Wakefield telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 20.35% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
In addition, Wakefield is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness'. But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.
Because of many things, Wakefield is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Wakefield really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Wakefield perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live.
One downside of living in Wakefield, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 31.98 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.
Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Wakefield is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the subway helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Wakefield area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.
Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Wakefield. 56.87% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.
The per capita income in Wakefield in 2018 was $64,988, which is upper middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $259,952 for a family of four.
The people who call Wakefield home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Wakefield residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Wakefield include Irish, Italian, English, German, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in Wakefield is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.