What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairhaven has the most affordable homes ($447k median).

Hadley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.4%).

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	Fairhaven	Hadley
People
Population	15,903Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.5±3.4Highest 21% above MA	45.8±7.1Lowest 15% above MA
	Fairhaven and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Fairhaven and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.9%±2.9Highest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Fairhaven and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,965±$19kLowest 8% below MA	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA
	Hadley and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,700±$19kLowest 21% below MA	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,118±$79Lowest 37% below MA	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,566Lowest 40% below MA	$5,271Highest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.1%±14Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Fairhaven and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest about the MA average	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	11.4%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Hadley and Fairhaven 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	#126 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Fairhaven	Hadley
High school in town	Fairhaven High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	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.