What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dudley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.7%).

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	Dudley
People
Population	5,306Lowest	11,929Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Hadley and Dudley 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%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley 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%	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Dudley 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%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Dudley and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA
	Hadley and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 12% below MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Dudley and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4% MA: 10%	6.4% MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	27 minHighest 6% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#116 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	14.3Highest
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.