What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has the most kids (21% under 18).

South Hadley has the most people working from home (17.3%).

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	Auburn	South Hadley
People
Population	16,970Lowest	17,754Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±1.6Highest 12% above MA	42.6±2.6Lowest 7% above MA
	Auburn and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	12.8%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.3%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	South Hadley and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	50.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	18.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,711±$10kHighest 12% above MA	$93,910±$15kLowest 10% below MA
	Auburn and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kHighest 29% below MA	$357,900±$19kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Highest 17% below MA	$1,325±$54Lowest 25% below MA
	Auburn and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,289Lowest 12% below MA	$5,500Highest 8% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5Highest MA: 51.8%	48.7%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Auburn and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%	7.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	77%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1961Lowest 3 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 12% below MA	24 minLowest 19% below MA
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	17.3%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	South Hadley and Auburn 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	#106 of 282 in MA	#216 of 282 in MA
School district	Auburn	South Hadley
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	South Hadley High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	8.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.