What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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	Dalton
People
Population	5,306Lowest	6,256Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Lowest 15% above MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
	Dalton and Hadley 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%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.2%±4.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dalton and Hadley 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%	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 12% below MA	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Highest MA: 51.8%
	Dalton 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%	7.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	22 minHighest 24% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hadley and Dalton 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	#116 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	10.9Highest
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.