What stands out worked out from the figures below

Great Barrington has the most people working from home (23.6%).

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	Great Barrington	Hadley
People
Population	7,202Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.2Highest 24% above MA	45.8±7.1Lowest 15% above MA
	Great Barrington and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Hadley and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.7%±4.7Highest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Great Barrington and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.8%±2.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,132±$11kLowest 19% below MA	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$494,300±$61kLowest 12% below MA	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA
	Hadley and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,314±$239Lowest 25% below MA	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA
	Hadley and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,935Highest about the MA average	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.9%±15.2Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Great Barrington and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 25% below MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	23.6%±6.8Highest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Great Barrington 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	#139 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Berkshire Hills	Hadley
High school in town	Monument Mt Regional High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Highest	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.