What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanover has the most kids (15.9% under 18).

Stoneham has the most people working from home (40.7%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	276Highest	271Lowest
Median age	53.3±10.3Lowest 19% above ME	60.6±7.1Highest 35% above ME
	Stoneham and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.9%±9.8Highest ME: 18.1%	5.9%±7.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hanover and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.7%±12.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	41%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Stoneham and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.7%Highest ME: 36.2%	37.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±4Lowest ME: 5.8%	14.8%±13.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Stoneham and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,417±$52kLowest 26% below ME	$63,750±$27kHighest 15% below ME
	Stoneham and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$334,500±$36kHighest 13% above ME	$226,200±$32kLowest 24% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,125±$383 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,492Highest 18% below ME	$1,426Lowest 53% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Stoneham and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 9% below ME	29 minHighest 18% above ME
Work from home	25%±19.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	40.7%±15.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Stoneham and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.