What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanover has the highest household income ($190k).

Pawtucket has the most affordable homes ($326k median).

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	Pawtucket
People
Population	14,845Lowest	75,893Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±1.4Highest 7% above U.S.	37.1±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	26.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hanover and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hanover and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pawtucket and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$189,803±$23kHighest 135% above U.S.	$68,310±$4kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$755,400±$39kHighest 127% above U.S.	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,845±$341Highest 31% above U.S.	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,342Highest 200% above U.S.	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65%±23.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hanover and Pawtucket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#69 of 282 in MA	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Hanover · South Shore Regional Vocational Technical	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	South Shore Vocational Technical High	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	14.6Highest
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.