Town guide

Wakefield, Massachusetts

Wakefield is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, home to about 27,793 people across 7.4 square miles. Its ZIP code is 01880.

Homes sold for a median of $468 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.

Population27,7933,761 per sq mi
Median home value$723,500Census, as estimated by owners
Price per sq ft$468Sold homes, 3 months to August 2026
Sold over asking60%Latest 3 months

ZIP codes in Wakefield

1 ZIP code

Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Wakefield. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology

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  • History
  • What it’s like to live there
  • Getting around
  • Things to do

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Around Wakefield

Distances

Nearest major airportBoston Logan International Airport (BOS)10 miles away
Nearest city of 250,000+Boston, MA12 miles away
Nearest city of 1 million+New York, NY195 miles away

Straight-line distances from the center of Wakefield; driving is longer.

Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Who represents Wakefield

Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.

Population over time

Wakefield had 27,090 residents in the 2020 census, up 9% since 2000.

It’s the 72nd largest of 351 towns in Massachusetts by population.

Middlesex County grew from 565,696 residents in 1900 to 1,632,002 in 2020.

Wakefield population by census2000: 24,804, 2010: 24,932, 2020: 27,09024,804200024,932201027,0902020

Middlesex County, 1900–2020

Middlesex County population, 1900 to 20201900: 565,696, 1910: 669,915, 1920: 778,352, 1930: 934,924, 1940: 971,390, 1950: 1,064,569, 1960: 1,238,742, 1970: 1,397,268, 1980: 1,367,034, 1990: 1,398,468, 2000: 1,465,396, 2010: 1,503,085, 2020: 1,632,002566K’00’10778K’20’30971K’40’501.2M’60’701.4M’80’901.5M’00’101.6M’20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).

Weather by month

Average highs peak around 84°F in summer, and winter lows average 19°F. About 49.9 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 64 inches of snow.

Average high and low temperature and precipitation by month near WakefieldJan: high 38°F, low 19°F, 3.9 in; Feb: high 40°F, low 20°F, 3.6 in; Mar: high 48°F, low 27°F, 4.9 in; Apr: high 60°F, low 37°F, 4.3 in; May: high 70°F, low 47°F, 3.8 in; Jun: high 78°F, low 56°F, 4.2 in; Jul: high 84°F, low 63°F, 4 in; Aug: high 82°F, low 61°F, 3.5 in; Sep: high 75°F, low 53°F, 3.9 in; Oct: high 64°F, low 42°F, 4.8 in; Nov: high 53°F, low 32°F, 4 in; Dec: high 43°F, low 24°F, 5 in38°19°Jan3.940°20°Feb3.648°27°Mar4.960°37°Apr4.370°47°May3.878°56°Jun4.284°63°Jul4.082°61°Aug3.575°53°Sep3.964°42°Oct4.853°32°Nov4.043°24°Dec5.0Rain and melted snow, inches

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Reading, MA weather station (3 miles away).

Jobs in Middlesex County

963,417 jobs at 44,624 businesses in Middlesex County. The biggest industries by employees:

Largest industries in Middlesex CountyProfessional services: 159,471 jobs; Health care and social assistance: 126,002 jobs; Educational services: 92,086 jobs; Retail trade: 79,115 jobs; Hotels and restaurants: 68,258 jobs; Manufacturing: 67,626 jobs; Information: 67,368 jobs; Wholesale trade: 51,000 jobsProfessional services 17% Health care and social assistance 13% Educational services 10% Retail trade 8% Hotels and restaurants 7% Manufacturing 7% Information 7% Wholesale trade 5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).

Health care

326 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Wakefield.

Nearest hospitals

  • Melrosewakefield HealthcareGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 3 of 5 · Melrose2.8 miles
  • Winchester HospitalGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 3 of 5 · Winchester3.6 miles
  • Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, BurlingtonGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 4 of 5 · Burlington6.7 miles

Providers with an office here

Primary care doctors11
Specialist doctors12
Dentists38
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants22
Mental health providers130
Physical and occupational therapists96
Optometrists8
Chiropractors9
Pharmacies8

Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.

Places in and around Wakefield

Parks (20 nearby)

  • J.J. Round Park · 55 acres0.7 mi
  • Sullivan Memorial Park · 20 acres1.1 mi
  • Spring Street Park · 12 acres1.8 mi
  • Mapleway Playground · 9 acres1.3 mi
  • Pomeworth Field · 8 acres1.7 mi
  • Joseph C. Cerrone Memorial Park · 8 acres1.2 mi

Grocery stores (5 nearby)

  • The Farmland0.1 mi
  • Shaw's0.3 mi
  • Stop & Shop1.9 mi
  • Market Basket1.9 mi

Pharmacies (6 nearby)

  • CVS Pharmacy0.1 mi
  • Walgreens0.2 mi
  • The Medicine Store1.1 mi
  • CVS Pharmacy1.7 mi

Libraries (1 nearby)

  • Lucius Beebe Memorial Library0.3 mi

Museums (1 nearby)

  • Wakefield History Museum0.8 mi

Theaters and performance venues

  • Greater Boston Stage Company2.2 mi
  • Follow Your Art3.3 mi
  • Chevalier Theatre5.9 mi

Counts are within about 2 miles of the center of town.

Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.

Colleges, teams and notable people

Established in 1638.

Notable people born here

  • Rachel Levine (1957) · American professor of pediatrics and psychiatry; United States Assistant Secretary for Health, 2021–2025
  • Carleton S. Coon (1904) · American anthropologist
  • William Brewster (1851) · American ornithologist (1851–1919)
  • David Dellinger (1915) · American activist
  • Israel Horovitz (1939) · American writer (1939–2020)
  • John Anthony Volpe (1908) · American politician (1908-1994)

Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.

Schools in Wakefield

Public schools here are run by Wakefield, Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational Technical. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.

Public schools (8)
SchoolGradesStudentsTypeDistance
Early Childhood Center at the Doyle SchoolWakefieldPre-K128Public0.8 mi
Woodville SchoolWakefieldPre-K–4456Public0.9 mi
DolbeareWakefieldK–4443Public1.2 mi
GreenwoodWakefieldK–4227Public1.4 mi
WaltonWakefieldK–4218Public1.0 mi
Galvin Middle SchoolWakefield5–81,056Public0.2 mi
Northeast Metro Regional VocationalWakefield9–121,381Career and Technical1.3 mi
Wakefield Memorial HighWakefield9–12854Public1.0 mi
Private schools (2)
SchoolGradesStudentsAffiliationDistance
Odyssey Day SchoolWakefieldPre-K–837Nonsectarian1.6 mi
St Joseph SchoolWakefieldPre-K–8192Roman Catholic0.5 mi

Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.

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Towns near Wakefield

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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.