What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Pelham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.3%).

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	Pelham
People
Population	5,306Lowest	14,449Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 18% above U.S.	41.5±2.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Hadley and Pelham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pelham 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 U.S.: 17.2%	16.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hadley and Pelham 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 48% above U.S.	$135,956±$19kHighest 68% above U.S.
	Pelham 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 54% above U.S.	$552,600±$27kHighest 66% above U.S.
	Pelham and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,425±$88Highest about the U.S. average
	Pelham and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Lowest 69% above U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.3%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pelham 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 U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Pelham 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	#48 of 120 in NH
School district	Hadley	Pelham School District
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Pelham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	10.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.