What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Northampton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Northampton
People
Population	5,306Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA
	Hadley and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hadley and Northampton 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%	20.4%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Northampton 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%	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Northampton 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	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA
	Northampton and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA	$5,680Highest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton 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%	13.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	21 minHighest 26% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Northampton 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	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.