Hingham, MA: town finances
Strong savings (21% of budget vs 7.3% typical); override vote in 2023; another override vote likely.
Budget grade
Better than 86% of MA towns · score 92 of 100
± Borderline: the score is within 2 points of the A/B cutoff, so a small change in the data could move the budget grade.
Ability to pay
Top 10% for income and property value
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $106,998 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $437,453 (DLS 2024).
Chance of an override vote
7 points on our 0-8 scale: Low 0-2, Medium 3-4, High 5+. It ranks towns; it is not a percentage.
The story in charts
Hingham: huge reserves, but costs per student nearly doubled and its taxing room is gone
Hingham also appears in: The wealthiest big suburbs: fewer students, costlier schools, tax bills ahead of inflation
Key numbers
| Measure | Hingham | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $14,313 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 8.0% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 4.75% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | Yes (1 vote) | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 21.3% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 1.48% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 1.8% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 0.08% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | -8% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 12.6 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $1.4M (235 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +64.6% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $178,390 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 24,130 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Hingham. Shaded = worse than the median town on tax bill share or enrollment. Medians are across all 351 towns with data.
Why this budget grade
Budget grade B, solid (92/100, near the A/B line; better than 86% of MA towns): reserves averaged 21% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 1.48% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (2.26% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 1.8% of budget (median 1.3%). 69% of debt payments are voter-approved and paid outside the cap.
Why this chance of an override vote
Chance of an override vote: High (7 pts): almost no unused room under the tax cap (0.08% of max levy, +3); override vote since July 2016, latest 2023-04 (+2); voter-approved debt or capital increase passed since July 2021 (+1); school spending grew 5.5%/yr vs 5.3%/yr for the tax cap limit, FY2020-2025 (+1).
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs -1.7% last year; enrollment -8% over 5 yrs; tax bill 8.0% of median income (state median 6.4%).
"pts" are points toward the chance of an override vote. Max levy is the most the town can raise without a vote under Prop 2½. See how the budget grade works.
Override votes since July 2016
| Vote date | Result | Amount | Purpose (as listed by DLS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2023 | Passed | $7,890,467 | Override |
Source: MA DLS Proposition 2½ override vote file, as of 25 Oct 2026. One ballot can carry several questions.
See this town in the full data table →