What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burlington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Burlington	Hadley
People
Population	26,274Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.2Highest 15% above MA	45.8±7.1Lowest 15% above MA
	Burlington and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Burlington and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,436±$14kHighest 41% above MA	$119,259±$12kLowest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$740,600±$35kHighest 32% above MA	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,718±$368Highest 54% above MA	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,165Highest about the MA average	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.4%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Burlington and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest MA: 10%	6.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	22.5%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Burlington 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	#83 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Burlington	Hadley
High school in town	Burlington High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	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.