Cost of Living in Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts

Hanscom AFB is a Census-designated place in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, with a population of 2,048. The total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes, and other necessities for a single adult in Hanscom AFB is $46,861 a year — greater than the annual cost of living for Massachusetts of $42,532 and greater than the national figure of $38,433.

Using cost of living data from the nonprofift think tank Economic Policy Institute, 24/7 Wall St. estimated the cost of living in Hanscom AFB and over 29,000 other cities and towns in the US.

Transportation Costs in Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts

Transportation can also be a significant component of cost of living. In Hanscom AFB, 80.00% of commuters drive to work, compared to 85.5% of commuters nationwide. An estimated 65.30% of workers commute to jobs outside of Hanscom AFB, a larger share than the 43.7% share of commuters nationwide who live and work in different cities. The average commute in Hanscom AFB is 19.7 minutes long, compared to the 26.6-minute average commute nationwide. Taking into account the cost of gas, as well as public transit and car maintenance, the EPI estimates that a single person in Hanscom AFB spends $9,142 a year on transportation, less than the national average of $9,760.

Health Care Costs in Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts

Out-of-pocket health care costs and insurance premiums — assuming at least a basic level of health insurance coverage — are far lower than they are on average nationwide in Hanscom AFB but in line with what they are across Massachusetts as a whole.

For a single adult living in the area, average health care costs come out to $3,152 per year, compared to an average of $3,339 across Massachusetts and $4,266 nationwide.

Child care Costs in Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts

For families with children, child care adds thousands of dollars to overall annual spending. In Hanscom AFB, the average annual cost of child care for two children — one 4 year old and one 8 year old — is $27,005, about $2,600 more than the comparable average of $24,384 across all of Massachusetts. Meanwhile, across the U.S. as a whole, childcare expenses for two children averages $15,853 per year.

Food Costs in Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts

Food is another every day expense that has a significant impact on overall cost of living. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that the cost of food varies from city to city and town to town.

In Hanscom AFB, a single adult spends an average of $3,669 on food annually, and a family of four spends $10,595 on average. For context, average annual food expenditure across Massachusetts and the U.S., respectively, are $3,544 and $3,240 for a single adult, and $10,235 and $9,354 for a family of four. These estimates are calculated for a nutritionally adequate diet of food purchased at a grocery store for at-home preparation.

Taxes in Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts

Few expenses vary as much from city to city and town to town as taxes. Accounting for state and federal income taxes, as well as Social Security contributions and Medicare payroll taxes, the average adult working in Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts pays $8,672 annually — a relatively high sum compared to the the statewide average of $7,709.

It is important to note that these calculations do not include other common taxes such as property, sales, and excise taxes. Accounting for these taxes, while excluding taxes levied at the federal level, Hanscom AFB residents live in a state with a high average tax burden. Per capita state tax collections in Massachusetts total $4,296 per year, compared to the $3,151 average across all states.

Methodology

To estimate the cost of housing, food, transportation, health care, child care, taxes, and other necessities, 24/7 Wall St. assigned county-level Economic Policy Institute data to cities, towns, villages and Census-designated places based on boundary definitions from the U.S. Census Bureau. For places that span multiple counties, data was aggregated based on the percentage of boundary overlap.

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