What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hancock has the most affordable homes ($161k median).

Reading has the most people working from home (22.9%).

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	Hancock	Reading
People
Population	2,769Highest	699Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-14.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.3±5.7Highest 40% above U.S.	51.1±7.6Lowest 31% above U.S.
	Hancock and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.5%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Reading and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	28.2%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hancock and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Reading and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,243±$11kLowest 23% below U.S.	$85,000±$19kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Reading and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,100±$8kLowest 52% below U.S.	$377,200±$72kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,052±$172Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,100±$331Highest 22% below U.S.
	Reading and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,584Lowest 17% below U.S.	$5,754Highest 84% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±13.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	63.3%±31.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Reading and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 13% above U.S.	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.9%±10.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#471 of 484 in NY	—
School district	HANCOCK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76
High school in town	HANCOCK JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.