What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Melrose has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

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	Melrose
People
Population	5,306Lowest	29,650Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+10.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA	43.6±1.1Lowest 9% above MA
	Hadley and Melrose 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%	20.2%±2.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Melrose 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%	20.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,259±$12kLowest 15% above MA	$133,953±$14kHighest 29% above MA
	Melrose and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA	$822,900±$20kHighest 46% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA	$1,970±$149Highest 12% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA	$7,578Highest 26% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	50.3%±8.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Melrose and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	67.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	35 minHighest 19% above MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.6%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6%
	Melrose and Hadley 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	#62 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Melrose
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Melrose High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	12.8Highest
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.