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Town comparison · Massachusetts

Hamilton vs Topsfield

North Shore · North Shore
Hamilton leads 5–0 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Hamilton edges Topsfield 5 to 0 with 1 tie. Median home prices are close, within $46k of each other.

The two towns at a glance

Hamilton

North Shore · pop. 8,230
Hamilton is horse country on the North Shore: Myopia Hunt Club, old money estates, and the Hamilton-Wenham district that consistently ranks among Massachusetts' best public schools.
57
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Hamilton profile →

Topsfield

North Shore · pop. 6,218
Topsfield sits in the Masconomet district, one of the best public school systems in the state. The Topsfield Fair is the oldest agricultural fair in the US. Otherwise it is quiet, wealthy, and car-dependent.
59
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Topsfield profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Hamilton Topsfield
Headline
Livability index 55 53
Economics
Median home $885k $931k
Household income $126k $196k
Price ÷ income 4.8×
Tax burden 52 54
Schools & Safety
Schools 90 88
Safety 93 93
Getting around
Commute to Boston 44 min 42 min
Walkability 22 18
Transit 28 10
Biking 22 18
Lifestyle
Dining 40 32
Nightlife 15 12
Arts & culture 30 25
Green space 55 55
Community
Diversity 18 14
Climate 63 68
5-yr trend 62 62

Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.

Compare on your terms

These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Hamilton vs Topsfield in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

Stuck between Hamilton and Topsfield?

I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. I've walked both towns. Tell me what matters most and I'll give you a straight answer within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.

About this comparison

Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.