What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.1%).

Hadley has the most affordable homes ($511k median).

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	Arlington	Hadley
People
Population	46,350Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Lowest 4% above MA	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA
	Hadley and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Arlington and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	76.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$150,701±$5kHighest 45% above MA	$119,259±$12kLowest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$933,800±$23kHighest 66% above MA	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Highest 18% above MA	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,604Highest 60% above MA	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Hadley and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%	6.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	Hadley
High school in town	Arlington High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	7.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.