Compare towns
Hadley vs Lawrence
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Hadley has the most people working from home (20.1%).
Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).
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.
| Measure | Hadley | Lawrence |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 5,306Lowest |
88,736Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+16.7%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA |
32.6±0.9Lowest 19% below MA |
| Kids under 18 | 16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4% |
26.3%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9% |
10.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 61.3%Highest MA: 47.3% |
16.8%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9% |
5.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9% |
| Hadley and Lawrence 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 |
$60,433±$3kLowest 42% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA |
$415,200±$23kLowest 26% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA |
$1,662±$50Highest 6% below MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,271Highest 12% below MA |
$3,422Lowest 43% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8% |
60.6%±3.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
| Lawrence 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% |
17.6%Highest MA: 10% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 73.4%Highest MA: 62.5% |
28.1%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA |
1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minLowest 33% below MA |
23 minHighest 21% below MA |
| Work from home | 20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6% |
6.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #116 of 282 in MA | #278 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Hadley | Lawrence |
| High school in town | Hopkins Academy | Lawrence High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 7.3Lowest |
13.6Highest |
| 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.