What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Hadley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.4%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Alstead	Hadley
People
Population	1,551Lowest	5,306Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 44% above U.S.	45.8±7.1Lowest 18% above U.S.
	Alstead and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hadley and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	24.2%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Alstead and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	61.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hadley and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,526±$11kLowest 20% below U.S.	$119,259±$12kHighest 48% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 18% below U.S.	$511,000±$43kHighest 54% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,402±$132 about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Highest 71% above U.S.	$5,271Lowest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Alstead and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Hadley
High school in town	None in town	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	—	7.3
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.