What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).

Hadley has the most homeowners (73.4%).

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	Boston	Hadley
People
Population	666,442Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Hadley and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Boston and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA	$5,271Highest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Boston and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Boston and Hadley 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	#258 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Hadley
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	7.3Lowest
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.