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Town comparison · Massachusetts

Hanover vs Pembroke

South Shore · South Shore
Hanover leads 4–2 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Hanover edges Pembroke 4 to 2. Median homes in Pembroke run roughly $157k cheaper than in Hanover, about 20% less. Hanover is about 6 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak.

The two towns at a glance

Hanover

South Shore · pop. 14,887
Hanover is the polished, practical South Shore suburb: above-average schools, Route 3 access to Boston, and a malls-and-neighborhoods layout that families find reliable even if it lacks personality.
60
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Hanover profile →

Pembroke

South Shore · pop. 18,361
Pembroke is the South Shore's sensible middle: decent schools, sub-$700K entry, and MBTA commuter rail access to Boston at Kingston station five minutes away.
53
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Pembroke profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Hanover Pembroke
Headline
Livability index 52 ✦ 48
Economics
Median home $800k ✦ $642k
Household income $190k ✦ $141k
Price ÷ income 4.2× 4.5× ✦
Tax burden 55 ✦ 52
Schools & Safety
Schools 80 ✦ 75
Safety 88 ✦ 83
Getting around
Commute to Boston 36 min 42 min ✦
Walkability 30 ✦ 16
Transit 18 20 ✦
Biking 22 ✦ 18
Lifestyle
Dining 48 ✦ 40
Nightlife 22 ✦ 18
Arts & culture 26 ✦ 25
Green space 35 ✦ 32
Community
Diversity 22 26 ✦
Climate 66 66
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 Hanover vs Pembroke in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

Re-weight Hanover vs Pembroke About Gary Browse all 194 towns

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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.