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Town comparison · Massachusetts

Hamilton vs Wenham

North Shore · North Shore
Hamilton leads 3–1 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Hamilton edges Wenham 3 to 1 with 2 ties. Median homes in Hamilton run roughly $146k cheaper than in Wenham, about 14% less.

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 →

Wenham

North Shore · pop. 4,985
Wenham is one of the wealthiest small towns in Massachusetts with Gordon College, a shared school district with Hamilton, and a self-contained calm that money tends to buy.
58
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Wenham profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Hamilton Wenham
Headline
Livability index 55 53
Economics
Median home $885k $1.03M
Household income $126k $195k
Price ÷ income 5.3×
Tax burden 52 55
Schools & Safety
Schools 90 90
Safety 93 94
Getting around
Commute to Boston 44 min 44 min
Walkability 22 20
Transit 28 22
Biking 22 20
Lifestyle
Dining 40 32
Nightlife 15 12
Arts & culture 30 28
Green space 55 50
Community
Diversity 18 15
Climate 63 65
5-yr trend 62 65

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 Wenham in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

Stuck between Hamilton and Wenham?

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.