What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the most affordable homes ($511k median).

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

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	Hadley	Brookline
People
Population	5,306Lowest	63,266Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA	35.2±1.2Lowest 12% below MA
Kids under 18	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.7%±1.4Highest 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+	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%	15.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	85.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%	10.8%±1.3Lowest 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	$119,259±$12kLowest 15% above MA	$142,101±$8kHighest 37% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA	$1,246,800±$67kHighest 122% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA	$2,835±$82Highest 61% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	46.9%±4Highest 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	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%	8.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	46.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	27 minHighest 7% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.1%±2.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#116 of 282 in MA	#22 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Brookline
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Brookline High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	11.9Highest
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.