What stands out worked out from the figures below

Buckland has the most affordable homes ($321k median).

Hanover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.9%).

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	Buckland	Hanover
People
Population	2,036Lowest	14,845Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.5±5.4Highest 24% above MA	41.8±1.4Lowest 4% above MA
Kids under 18	17.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	26.1%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	26.4%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%	16.1%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	56.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hanover and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,877±$6kLowest 20% below MA	$189,803±$23kHighest 83% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$321,400±$25kLowest 43% below MA	$755,400±$39kHighest 34% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,111±$213Lowest 37% below MA	$1,845±$341Highest 5% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,761Lowest 21% below MA	$9,342Highest 56% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58%±20.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	65%±23.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Hanover and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest MA: 10%	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	32 minHighest 10% above MA
Work from home	14.1%±5.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.6%±4.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Hanover and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#69 of 282 in MA
School district	Mohawk Trail	Hanover · South Shore Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Mohawk Trail Regional School	South Shore Vocational Technical High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	10.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.