Massachusetts
Hanscom Air Force Base
📍 Bedford, Massachusetts
The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center's electronics hub, Hanscom focuses on command, control, communications, and battle management systems acquisition near Boston.
BAH Rates
MHA: MA009 Rates as of 2026
E-1 with Dependents$3,189/mo
E-5 with Dependents$3,726/mo
E-5 without Dependents$2,736/mo
O-3 with Dependents$4,719/mo
O-3 without Dependents$3,738/mo
Housing
View full housing guide →- On-base: Privatized housing through Balfour Beatty Communities — single-family homes and townhomes; wait lists 2-12+ months for some categories; the Hanscom housing market is tight due to its location in the expensive Boston metro area; on-base housing is highly sought after for its value relative to the off-base market
- Off-base (Bedford/Billerica/Burlington): 5-15 min commute; rentals $2,500-$4,000/month for a 2-3BR apartment; BAH is high ($3,000-$4,000+ depending on rank) but the market is expensive — BAH may not fully cover a single-family home in the closest towns
- Off-base (Lexington/Concord): 10-20 min, historic, desirable communities with top-rated schools; home prices $700K-$1.5M+; premium for the schools and New England charm
- Off-base (Chelmsford/Acton/Littleton): 15-30 min, more affordable (relative to the area), good schools, popular with families trading commute for value
- Note: The Boston-area housing market is one of the most expensive in the nation — BAH is generous but doesn't go as far as at other bases; consider a longer commute (30-45 min) for significantly more house for your money; New Hampshire (Nashua/Salem, 30-45 min) offers no state income tax and more affordable homes
Neighborhoods
View full neighborhoods guide →- Bedford — 5-10 min commute, the base's host community, historic New England town with a strong sense of place, Bedford schools are excellent, limited rental stock (mostly single-family homes), convenient but expensive
- Billerica — 10-15 min, more affordable than Bedford/Lexington, larger housing stock, Billerica schools are solid, convenient to Route 3 and I-495, popular with base families
- Burlington — 10-15 min, retail hub (Burlington Mall, 3rd Ave corridor), mix of apartments/condos and single-family homes, good schools, very convenient to base
- Lexington / Concord — 15-20 min, quintessential historic Massachusetts towns, top-rated schools (among the best in the state), steep home prices but unparalleled New England character and education quality
- Chelmsford — 20-25 min, more affordable, good schools, larger homes, strong community feel, popular with families trading a slightly longer commute for value
- Nashua, NH — 30-40 min, the big trade: longer commute for no state income tax, significantly more affordable homes, good schools, growing city with a revitalized downtown — many Hanscom families make this work
Schools
View full schools guide →🏫 Elementary Schools
Hanscom Primary School (DoDEA)⭐ 7/10
On-base, K-3, excellent DoDEA school
Hanscom Intermediate School (DoDEA)⭐ 7/10
On-base, grades 4-5
Davis Elementary⭐ 8/10
Bedford, top-rated MA school
Lt. Eleazer Davis Elementary⭐ 8/10
Bedford, strong reputation
🏫 Middle Schools
Hanscom Middle School (DoDEA)⭐ 7/10
On-base, grades 6-8
John Glenn Middle School⭐ 8/10
Bedford, excellent academics
Lexington Middle Schools⭐ 9/10
Lexington, top in state, expensive area
🏫 High Schools
Bedford High School⭐ 8/10
Bedford, strong college prep
Lexington High School⭐ 10/10
Top-ranked in Massachusetts, elite academics
Concord-Carlisle High⭐ 9/10
Concord, excellent reputation
Gates & Commute
- Main Gate (Hartwell Avenue / Route 4) — Primary entry from Bedford and Route 128/I-95, 24/7, 5-15 min peak waits (6:30-8:30 AM), the main artery from the Boston metro area
- South Gate — Secondary entry from the Lexington/Bedford line, shorter waits, limited hours
- Tip: Hanscom is in the Boston metro traffic ecosystem — the 6:30-8:30 AM window on Route 128 can add 15-30 min to your commute; the Main Gate backs up more from off-base traffic than from the gate itself
- Note: The base is adjacent to Hanscom Field (civil aviation airport) and shares the runways; the base portion is the northwest side of the airfield
Internet Providers
- Xfinity (Comcast) — Primary cable provider in the Boston metro; speeds up to 1.2 Gbps; widely available and reliable
- Verizon Fios — Fiber available in many suburban communities (Bedford, Burlington, Billerica); symmetrical speeds up to 1 Gbps; excellent where available
- T-Mobile 5G Home Internet — Excellent coverage across the Boston metro; $50/month unlimited
- RCN/Astound — Available in some communities; competitive pricing
- Top pick: Verizon Fios where available (best speeds and reliability); Xfinity everywhere else
Shopping & Dining
- On-base: AAFES Exchange and commissary — well-stocked; shoppette and Class Six
- Burlington Mall (10-15 min): Nordstrom, Macy's, Apple Store, and 150+ stores; the 3rd Avenue corridor adds restaurants, retail, and the AMC cinema
- Groceries: On-base commissary; off-base Market Basket (beloved regional discount grocer, excellent prices), Wegmans (Burlington, premium grocery with cult following), Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Wilson Farm (Lexington, destination farm stand since 1884)
- Dining: The Boston area is a world-class food city; local gems near base include The Bancroft (Burlington, upscale steakhouse), The Federal (Woburn, American bistro), and Il Casale (Lexington, rustic Italian in a restored fire station); plus the North End (Boston's Little Italy, 25 min) for legendary cannoli and Italian
- Boston (25-35 min): Copley Place and The Shops at Prudential Center (Neiman Marcus, Saks, high-end), Newbury Street (boutique shopping in historic Back Bay brownstones), Faneuil Hall Marketplace, and the Seaport District's contemporary retail and dining
Gyms & Recreation
- Hanscom AFB Fitness Center — 24/7 with cardio, free weights, functional fitness, indoor basketball, and group classes; modern facility serving the base population
- Outdoor Recreation (ODR) — Camping, skiing/snowboarding gear, kayaks; tickets and travel for Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, Patriots, concerts, and Broadway in Boston; organized trips to the White Mountains, Cape Cod, Maine coast, and NYC
- On-base: Bowling alley, auto hobby shop, community center, sports fields, library
- Minute Man National Historical Park (5-10 min) — The opening battle of the American Revolution: Battle Road Trail, the North Bridge in Concord, and the iconic Minute Man statue; living history and stunning New England scenery
- The Freedom Trail (Boston, 25-30 min) — 2.5-mile red-brick trail through 16 historic sites: Boston Common, Paul Revere's House, Old North Church, USS Constitution, and Bunker Hill; one of the best urban history walks in America
- White Mountains (2 hrs north) — The Presidential Range, Mount Washington (highest peak in the Northeast at 6,288 ft), fall foliage that's world-famous, and the Kancamagus Highway — one of America's most scenic drives
Jobs & Spouse Employment
- On-base: AAFES, commissary, MWR, CDC — primary local employers; USAJobs for a very large number of GS/WG positions — Hanscom is an acquisition center with hundreds of civilian program managers, engineers, contracting officers, IT specialists, and logisticians
- Defense contractors: The Route 128/495 corridor is DOD contractor central — MITRE (Bedford, across the street from base), MIT Lincoln Laboratory (Lexington), Raytheon (Waltham/Tewksbury), BAE Systems (Nashua), Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and thousands of small/mid-size defense tech firms — an enormous cleared professional job market
- Boston/Cambridge economy: World-class tech (Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta all have major Cambridge offices), biotech/pharma (Kendall Square in Cambridge is the densest biotech cluster on Earth), healthcare (Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel, Boston Children's Hospital), and higher education (Harvard, MIT, BU, Northeastern, etc. collectively employ tens of thousands)
- Remote work: Exceptional for Hanscom spouses — Eastern time zone; outstanding internet infrastructure; Boston Logan International Airport (25 min) for occasional travel; the concentration of employers within commuting distance is unmatched
- Massachusetts workforce: Massachusetts has strong military spouse employment protections and a generally military-friendly employment environment; the Commonwealth's workforce development programs are among the best in the nation
- Employment Readiness: Airman & Family Readiness Center provides job search support; the Boston job market is one of the strongest and most diverse in the nation for spouse employment
Local Attractions
- Boston's Freedom Trail (25-30 min) — Walk 250 years of American history: the Old North Church ('one if by land, two if by sea'), Paul Revere's House, Faneuil Hall, the USS Constitution ('Old Ironsides'), and the site of the Boston Massacre; finish with cannoli in the North End
- Lexington and Concord (5-10 min) — Walk where the American Revolution began on April 19, 1775: Lexington Green, the Old North Bridge, the Battle Road, and the historic homes of Louisa May Alcott (Orchard House), Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Cape Cod and the Islands (1.5-2.5 hrs) — Summer paradise: the Cape Cod National Seashore (40 miles of pristine beach), Provincetown's vibrant arts and LGBTQ+ scene, Martha's Vineyard (ferry from Woods Hole), and Nantucket (ferry from Hyannis); quintessential New England summer
- The White Mountains and Kancamagus Highway (2-2.5 hrs north) — New Hampshire's Presidential Range, the Mount Washington Auto Road or Cog Railway to the summit, fall foliage that draws visitors from around the world, and the Kancamagus — 34 miles of pure scenic New England driving
- Fenway Park (25 min) — America's most beloved ballpark, home of the Red Sox since 1912; the Green Monster, Pesky's Pole, and a sausage from outside the park before the game; even Yankees fans should experience Fenway once
- Martha's Vineyard / Newport, RI / Portland, ME — All 1.5-3 hrs away: the Vineyard's gingerbread cottages and lighthouses, Newport's Gilded Age mansions and Cliff Walk, Portland's nationally-acclaimed food scene and working waterfront
Area Maps
Photo Gallery
base
E-11A BACN aircraft at Hanscom AFB — the Air Force's electronics acquisition hub
base
Hanscom AFB — the 'Silicon Valley of the Air Force' near Boston
neighborhood
Lexington and Concord — historic towns where the American Revolution began
nature
Minute Man National Historical Park — Battle Road Trail near Hanscom
downtown
Historic Bedford and Burlington — New England charm near base
restaurant
The Bancroft — upscale steakhouse dining in Burlington near Hanscom