What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstable Town has the most affordable homes ($603k median).

Hingham has the most people working from home (33.1%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Barnstable Town	Hingham
People
Population	49,568Highest	24,283Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±1.9Highest 23% above MA	48.4±2.4Lowest 21% above MA
	Barnstable Town and Hingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.4%±2.1Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.8%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%	26%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Barnstable Town and Hingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	76.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,982±$6kLowest 12% below MA	$178,390±$15kHighest 72% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$602,500±$14kLowest 7% above MA	$1,134,200±$47kHighest 102% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,917±$127Lowest 9% above MA	$2,465±$603Highest 40% above MA
	Hingham and Barnstable Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,975Lowest 34% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	60.3%±12Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Barnstable Town and Hingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest MA: 10%	4.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	80.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1976Lowest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	36 minHighest 24% above MA
Work from home	12.3%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.1%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#189 of 282 in MA	#14 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstable	Hingham
High school in town	Barnstable High	Hingham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	12.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.