What stands out worked out from the figures below

Easthampton has the most affordable homes ($372k median).

Hadley has the highest household income ($119k).

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	Easthampton	Hadley
People
Population	16,086Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.4% MA: +7.4%
Median age	46±2.6Highest 15% above MA	45.8±7.1Lowest 15% above MA
	Easthampton and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Hadley and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Lowest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,673±$7kLowest 31% below MA	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,500±$15kLowest 34% below MA	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$70Lowest 27% below MA	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA
	Hadley and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,932Lowest 18% below MA	$5,271Highest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Easthampton and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 23% below MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	19%±3.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Hadley and Easthampton 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	#92 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Easthampton	Hadley
High school in town	Easthampton High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	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.