What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ipswich has the most people working from home (18.9%).

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	Ipswich
People
Population	10,660Lowest	13,930Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3Lowest 7% above MA	47.2±3.5Highest 18% above MA
	Ipswich 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%	18.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hanson and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.9%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Ipswich 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 MA: 47.3%	60.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Hanson and Ipswich 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	$138,750±$16kHighest 33% above MA
	Ipswich and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$533,900±$36kLowest 5% below MA	$745,400±$40kHighest 33% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,821±$860Highest 3% above MA	$1,598±$90Lowest 9% below MA
	Hanson and Ipswich 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	$7,960Highest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69%±33.1Highest MA: 51.8%	51.5%±12.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hanson and Ipswich 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%	5.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest MA: 62.5%	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	7.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	18.9%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#149 of 282 in MA	#101 of 282 in MA
School district	Whitman-Hanson	Ipswich
High school in town	Whitman Hanson Regional	Ipswich High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	9.0Lowest
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.