What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has the most people working from home (18.3%).

Hanson has the most expensive homes ($534k 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	Hanson
People
Population	17,410Highest	10,660Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA	42.8±3Highest 7% above MA
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%	21.6%±3.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bellingham and Hanson 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%	19.7%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hanson and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	42.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.8%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hanson and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,307±$10kLowest 21% above MA	$132,200±$10kHighest 27% above MA
	Hanson 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	$533,900±$36kHighest 5% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Highest 4% above MA	$1,821±$860Lowest 3% above MA
	Bellingham and Hanson 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	$6,402Highest 7% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	69%±33.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Hanson and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest MA: 10%	2.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1972Lowest 8 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 24% above MA	34 minLowest 15% above MA
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6%	7.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#232 of 282 in MA	#149 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellingham	Whitman-Hanson
High school in town	Bellingham High School	Whitman Hanson Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Lowest	14.7Highest
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.