What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milford has the most affordable homes ($399k median).

Hanover has the highest household income ($190k).

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	Milford	Hanover
People
Population	16,337Highest	14,845Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.8±2.5Lowest 5% below U.S.	41.8±1.4Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	23.7%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hanover and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.1%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hanover and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	56.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Milford and Hanover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,768±$14kLowest 21% above U.S.	$189,803±$23kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$398,800±$20kLowest 20% above U.S.	$755,400±$39kHighest 127% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,661±$126Lowest 18% above U.S.	$1,845±$341Highest 31% above U.S.
	Hanover and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,522Lowest 141% above U.S.	$9,342Highest 200% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	65%±23.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hanover and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	32 minHighest 21% above U.S.
Work from home	15.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hanover and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#55 of 120 in NH	#69 of 282 in MA
School district	Milford School District	Hanover · South Shore Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Milford High School	South Shore Vocational Technical High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	10.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.