What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanover has the most affordable homes ($755k median).

Milton has the most people working from home (29.7%).

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	Hanover	Milton
People
Population	14,845Lowest	28,587Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±1.4Highest 4% above MA	41.1±1.8Lowest about the MA average
	Hanover and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.1%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%	25.3%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hanover and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.1%±2.1 MA: 17.9%	16.1%±1.8 MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	71.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	9.7%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$189,803±$23kHighest 83% above MA	$188,529±$15kLowest 81% above MA
	Hanover and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$755,400±$39kLowest 34% above MA	$933,200±$31kHighest 66% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,845±$341Highest 5% above MA	$1,474±$281Lowest 16% below MA
	Hanover and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,342Lowest 56% above MA	$9,677Highest 61% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65%±23.8Highest MA: 51.8%	45.7%±20.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hanover and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Highest MA: 10%	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 10% above MA	31 minLowest 8% above MA
Work from home	19.6%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.7%±2.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#69 of 282 in MA	#55 of 282 in MA
School district	Hanover · South Shore Regional Vocational Technical	Milton
High school in town	South Shore Vocational Technical High	Milton High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	12.4Highest
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.