What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the most people working from home (20.1%).

Chicopee has the most affordable homes ($275k 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	Hadley	Chicopee
People
Population	5,306Lowest	55,295Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+0.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA	41.9±1.4Lowest 5% above MA
	Hadley and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.2%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Chicopee 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%	19.5%±1.4Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.3%Highest MA: 47.3%	22.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA	$62,615±$6kLowest 40% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA	$274,500±$8kLowest 51% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA	$1,157±$50Lowest 34% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 12% below MA	$3,847Lowest 36% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	52%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Chicopee 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%	17.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	21 minHighest 27% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	8%±1.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#116 of 282 in MA	#247 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Chicopee
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Chicopee Comprehensive High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	11.2Highest
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.