What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the highest household income ($119k).

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

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	Gardner
People
Population	5,306Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	Hadley and Gardner 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%	18.3%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Gardner 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%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Gardner 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%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Gardner 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	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 12% below MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Gardner 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%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hadley and Gardner 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	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Gardner
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	13.5Highest
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.