What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.8%).

Hamilton has the most expensive homes ($720k median).

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	Bellingham	Hamilton
People
Population	17,410Highest	7,600Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Highest MA: +7.4%	-2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA	43.5±2.1Highest 9% above MA
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	24%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Hamilton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.9%±3.8Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	68.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.7%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,307±$10kLowest 21% above MA	$129,833±$14kHighest 25% above MA
	Hamilton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$450,700±$13kLowest 20% below MA	$720,000±$36kHighest 28% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Highest 4% above MA	$1,794±$394Lowest about the MA average
	Bellingham and Hamilton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,030Lowest 16% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	65.8%±23.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Hamilton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%	7.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 24% above MA	32 minLowest 11% above MA
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	26.3%±5.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#232 of 282 in MA	#36 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellingham	Hamilton-Wenham
High school in town	Bellingham High School	Hamilton-Wenham Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Highest	11.8Lowest
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.