How long do people stay in their homes in Wakefield, MA?

Name: How long people stay in Wakefield, MA, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

20.0% (±3.4 points) of households in Wakefield, MA moved into their current home in 2020 or later (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

24.5% have lived in it since before 2000.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Moved in 2020 or later: 20.0% (±3.4 points)
Since before 2000: 24.5%

When households in Wakefield moved in

Occupied housing units by year the householder moved in, 2020–2024
Moved in	Wakefield	Middlesex County	Massachusetts	United States
2023 or later	4.9% (±1.8 points)	4.7%	4.0%	4.6%
2020 to 2022	15.1% (±2.9 points)	20.0%	18.5%	20.2%
2010 to 2019	42.5% (±4.0 points)	37.5%	38.6%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	13.0% (±2.3 points)	15.2%	16.1%	16.4%
1990 to 1999	12.1% (±2.5 points)	11.0%	10.9%	9.6%
1989 or earlier	12.4% (±2.5 points)	11.6%	12.0%	9.5%

A high share of recent movers usually means more renting households and more turnover; a high share of long-time residents usually means more owners who have stayed.

In Wakefield, the share of households that moved in since 2020 is lower than in Middlesex County (24.7%).

It is not measurably different from Massachusetts (22.5%).

It is lower than the national figure (24.8%).

Households that moved in since 2020 in places near Wakefield

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Wakefield
Place	Distance	Households that moved in since 2020	Compared with this place
Wakefield	—	20.0% (±3.4 points)	—
Lynnfield (community)	2.4 mi	13.7% (±4.2 points)	Lower
Lynnfield	2.4 mi	13.7% (±4.2 points)	Lower
Stoneham (community)	2.7 mi	20.2% (±3.6 points)	Not measurably different
Stoneham	2.7 mi	20.2% (±3.6 points)	Not measurably different
Reading (community)	3.0 mi	16.9% (±2.8 points)	Not measurably different
Reading	3.0 mi	16.9% (±2.8 points)	Not measurably different
Melrose	3.4 mi	19.9% (±2.8 points)	Not measurably different
Saugus (community)	3.6 mi	18.8% (±3.2 points)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Lynnfield (community), MA (13.7%), Lynnfield, MA (13.7%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that moved in since 2020 across Middlesex County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that moved in since 2020
15 (tie)	Lowell	24.1% (±1.5 points)
17	Natick	23.4% (±3.1 points)
18	Hopkinton	22.1% (±3.9 points)
19	Belmont	21.6% (±2.6 points)
20	Bedford	20.3% (±4.6 points)
21	Stoneham	20.2% (±3.6 points)
22	Wakefield	20.0% (±3.4 points)
23	Melrose	19.9% (±2.8 points)
24	Newton	19.6% (±1.6 points)
25 (tie)	Billerica	19.4% (±3.0 points)
25 (tie)	Westford	19.4% (±3.2 points)
27	Weston	19.2% (±4.3 points)
28 (tie)	Burlington	19.1% (±3.0 points)

Showing 13 of 54 places in Middlesex County, ranked from highest to lowest.

The figures for Wakefield include the places inside it that have pages of their own: Wakefield (community).

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates).

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Wakefield

How often do people move in Wakefield?

20.0% of households in Wakefield, MA moved into their home in 2020 or later (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many long-time residents does Wakefield have?

24.5% of households in Wakefield have lived in their home since 1999 or earlier.

Sources

Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Wakefield town, Middlesex County, Massachusetts

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Wakefield town, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (county subdivision:72215, in state:25 county:017).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0051PE, DP04_0051PM, DP04_0052PE, DP04_0052PM, DP04_0053PE, DP04_0053PM, DP04_0054PE, DP04_0054PM, DP04_0055PE, DP04_0055PM, DP04_0056PE, DP04_0056PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.