What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.6%).

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	Brookline	Hadley
People
Population	63,266Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	35.2±1.2Lowest 12% below MA	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA
Kids under 18	18.7%±1.4Highest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Brookline and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	85.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$142,101±$8kHighest 37% above MA	$119,259±$12kLowest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,246,800±$67kHighest 122% above MA	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,835±$82Highest 61% above MA	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±4Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Brookline and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	46.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 7% below MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	30.1%±2.2Highest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#22 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Brookline	Hadley
High school in town	Brookline High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	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.