From: Following the money / Boston Globe / April 13, 2008

A few not-so-wealthy towns also saw a sizable increase in wealth. Although taxpayers in Rochester earned less than half as much as those in Westwood, they saw almost as much income growth, 33.5 percent. Rochester's 02770 ZIP code was the only other one that posted a gain of more than 30 percent.

Other communities that gained more than 20 percent in income included: 02043 in Hingham, 02021 in Canton, 02769 in Rehoboth, 02717 in Freetown, 02739 in Mattapoisett, and 02061 in Norwell.

State aid has helped keep economic disparities between communities from growing too wide, said Barry Bluestone, the dean of Northeastern University's School of Social Science, Urban Affairs & Public Policy.

Proportionally, more state money has been pumped into poorer communities. But state aid has fallen off in recent years, leading to angry complaints from local officials, who are trying to stave off cuts in services and layoffs.