What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bedford has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Bedford
People
Population	10,660Lowest	14,727Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3Lowest 7% above MA	44.3±1.6Highest 11% above MA
	Bedford and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±3.7Highest MA: 19.4%	20.8%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hanson and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3Highest MA: 17.9%	19.1%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hanson and Bedford 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 MA: 47.3%	69.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.5%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bedford and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$132,200±$10kLowest 27% above MA	$172,400±$23kHighest 66% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$533,900±$36kLowest 5% below MA	$898,500±$43kHighest 60% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,821±$860Lowest 3% above MA	$2,622±$327Highest 49% above MA
	Bedford and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,402Lowest 7% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69%±33.1Highest MA: 51.8%	42%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hanson and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest MA: 10%	5.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs newer than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	7.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#149 of 282 in MA	#7 of 282 in MA
School district	Whitman-Hanson	Bedford
High school in town	Whitman Hanson Regional	Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.2Lowest
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.