What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boxford has the most affordable homes ($907k median).

Hingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

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	Boxford	Hingham
People
Population	8,208Lowest	24,283Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±3.6Highest 23% above MA	48.4±2.4Lowest 21% above MA
	Boxford and Hingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.7%±5Highest MA: 19.4%	23.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Boxford and Hingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±4.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	26%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hingham and Boxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	76.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Boxford and Hingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$200,871±$21kHighest 93% above MA	$178,390±$15kLowest 72% above MA
	Boxford and Hingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$907,000±$46kLowest 61% above MA	$1,134,200±$47kHighest 102% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$776±$13Lowest 56% below MA	$2,465±$603Highest 40% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+ at least 67% above MA	$10,000+ at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.2%±60.6Highest MA: 51.8%	60.3%±12Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Boxford and Hingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%	4.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	80.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA	1976Lowest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 7% above MA	36 minHighest 24% above MA
Work from home	21.6%±5.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.1%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#34 of 282 in MA	#14 of 282 in MA
School district	Boxford · Masconomet	Hingham
High school in town	Masconomet Regional High School	Hingham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Lowest	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.