What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for West Side?
West Side is ranked #1 of 6 eligible neighborhoods in Wakefield; #13 of 259 eligible neighborhoods in MA; and #1,019 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
West Side
Wakefield, MA | Middlesex County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
72.0
Stability and Strength
78.4
Value Opportunity
61.7
Momentum
76.1
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Wakefield, MA |
| County | Middlesex County |
| National rank | #1,019 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #13 of 259 |
| City rank | #1 of 6 |
| County rank | #5 of 110 |
| National percentile | 93.2 |
| National band | TOP_10_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $930,737 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 3.4% |
| Month-over-month home value change | 0.35% |
| Home value to income ratio | 7.15 |
| Median household income | $130,093 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 67.6% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 2.7% |
| Homeownership rate | 63.6% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 0.1% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 34.8% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in West Side
Is West Side one of the best neighborhoods in Wakefield?
West Side has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 72.0 and a city ranking of #1 of 6 eligible neighborhoods in Wakefield.
How much are homes worth in West Side?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for West Side is approximately $930,737.
Are home values rising or falling in West Side?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 3.4% year over year and 0.35% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for West Side?
West Side has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 76.1. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in West Side?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $130,093.
How affordable is West Side relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 7.15. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is West Side primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 63.6%.
What is the unemployment rate in West Side?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 2.7%.
How educated are residents of West Side?
Approximately 67.6% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in West Side face high rent burden?
Approximately 34.8% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score West Side?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications224
Estimated originations157
Home-purchase applications106
Origination rate70.1%
Home-purchase share47.2%
Average application loan$406,462
Total application loan amount$91,195,089
National application rank#1,770 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 8.7% YoY; originations 14.7% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.