What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the most people working from home (20.1%).

Preston has the most affordable homes ($362k median).

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	Preston
People
Population	5,306Highest	4,821Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.8±7.1Lowest 18% above U.S.	46.2±7Highest 19% above U.S.
	Preston and Hadley 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%	18.7%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Preston 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%	23%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hadley and Preston 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 U.S.: 35.7%	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hadley and Preston 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 48% above U.S.	$116,648±$27kLowest 44% above U.S.
	Hadley and Preston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 54% above U.S.	$361,900±$13kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,433±$1kHighest about the U.S. average
	Preston and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 69% above U.S.	$4,749Lowest 52% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.6%±12.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Preston 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%	2.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.	22 minHighest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley and Preston 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	#93 of 149 in CT
School district	Hadley	Preston School District
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3	—
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.