What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanover has the shortest commute (22 min average).

Wayne has the highest household income ($93k).

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	Wayne
People
Population	276Lowest	1,101Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-5% ME: +2.6%
Median age	53.3±10.3Lowest 19% above ME	55.6±5.3Highest 24% above ME
	Wayne 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%	13.4%±3.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hanover and Wayne 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%	29.2%±3.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Wayne 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%Lowest ME: 36.2%	48.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±4Lowest ME: 5.8%	6.5%±2.8Highest ME: 5.8%
	Wayne 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	$93,194±$26kHighest 25% above ME
	Wayne 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±$36kLowest 13% above ME	$362,800±$29kHighest 22% above ME
	Wayne and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$983±$554 14% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,492Lowest 18% below ME	$3,289Highest 8% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	25%±52.1Highest ME: 48.4%
	Wayne 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%	7.9%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 5 yrs newer than ME	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 9% below ME	30 minHighest 24% above ME
Work from home	25%±19.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	26.2%±11.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Wayne and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	RSU 38
High school in town	—	None in town
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.