What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanson has the most expensive homes ($534k median).

Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).

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	Hanson	Arlington
People
Population	10,660Highest	2,598Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3Highest 10% above U.S.	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.
	Hanson and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hanson and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Arlington and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hanson and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$132,200±$10kHighest 64% above U.S.	$102,308±$11kLowest 27% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$533,900±$36kHighest 60% above U.S.	$318,500±$59kLowest 4% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,821±$860Highest 29% above U.S.	$1,191±$172Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Hanson and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,402Highest 105% above U.S.	$4,549Lowest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69%±33.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Arlington and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	7.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#149 of 282 in MA	#50 of 70 in VT
School district	Whitman-Hanson	Arlington School District
High school in town	Whitman Hanson Regional	Arlington Memorial
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	10.6Lowest
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.