What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanson has the most homeowners (89%).

Boston has the most people working from home (21.3%).

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	Boston
People
Population	10,660Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3Highest 7% above MA	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA
Kids under 18	21.6%±3.7Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	19.7%±3Highest MA: 17.9%	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$132,200±$10kHighest 27% above MA	$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$533,900±$36kLowest 5% below MA	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,821±$860Lowest 3% above MA	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA
	Boston and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,402Highest 7% above MA	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69%±33.1Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hanson and Boston 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%	16.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest MA: 62.5%	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	30 minLowest 4% above MA
Work from home	7.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#149 of 282 in MA	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Whitman-Hanson	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Whitman Hanson Regional	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Lowest	18.7Highest
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.