What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Winchester has the most people working from home (33.8%).

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	Winchester
People
Population	10,660Lowest	23,406Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3Highest 7% above MA	42.5±1.9Lowest 6% above MA
	Hanson and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±3.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.6%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Winchester and Hanson 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%	18%±2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hanson and Winchester 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%	79.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Winchester 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	$230,198±$21kHighest 121% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$533,900±$36kLowest 5% below MA	$1,215,200±$39kHighest 116% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,821±$860Lowest 3% above MA	$2,279±$481Highest 29% above MA
	Winchester 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%	39.3%±13.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hanson and Winchester 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%	4.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest MA: 62.5%	81.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	31 minLowest 8% above MA
Work from home	7.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.8%±3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#149 of 282 in MA	#11 of 282 in MA
School district	Whitman-Hanson	Winchester
High school in town	Whitman Hanson Regional	Winchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Lowest	14.8Highest
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.