Compare towns
Hancock vs Needham vs New Braintree
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Hancock has the shortest commute (22 min average).
Needham has the most people working from home (32.4%).
New Braintree has the most homeowners (89.8%).
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.
| Measure | Hancock | Needham | New Braintree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 752Lowest |
32,459Highest |
973 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.6% MA: +7.4% |
+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4% |
-0.3%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 47.1±11.1 18% above MA |
43.1±1.6Lowest 8% above MA |
47.8±4.6Highest 20% above MA |
| New Braintree and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.1%±4.9Lowest MA: 19.4% |
27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
20%±4.4 MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±5.3Highest MA: 17.9% |
17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9% |
25.6%±2.5 MA: 17.9% |
| Hancock and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35.7%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
81.9%Highest MA: 47.3% |
41.4% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.5%±3.5 MA: 7.9% |
5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9% |
2.9%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9% |
| Needham and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $96,250±$26kLowest 7% below MA |
$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA |
$99,500±$8k 4% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $375,500±$21kLowest 33% below MA |
$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA |
$408,800±$27k 27% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,268±$415Lowest 28% below MA |
$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA |
$1,484±$316 16% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,018Lowest 83% below MA |
$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA |
$5,508 8% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.1%±36.3Lowest MA: 51.8% |
55.9%±8.5Highest MA: 51.8% |
51.4%±51.2 MA: 51.8% |
| Needham and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 10.6%Highest MA: 10% |
3.7%Lowest MA: 10% |
7.2% MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 82.8%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
83.1% MA: 62.5% |
89.8%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1989Highest 25 yrs newer than MA |
1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA |
1987 23 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 22 minLowest 25% below MA |
28 min 5% below MA |
37 minHighest 26% above MA |
| Work from home | 10.4%±4.3 MA: 18.6% |
32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6% |
7.4%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #19 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | Hancock | — | Quabbin |
| High school in town | None in town | — | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.