What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sheffield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.1%).

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	Sheffield
People
Population	5,306Highest	3,330Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+2.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Lowest 15% above MA	48.2±8Highest 21% above MA
	Sheffield and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%	13.3%±4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hadley and Sheffield 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%	23.2%±5.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Sheffield 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 MA: 47.3%	37.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%	4.2%±4.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Sheffield 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	$92,120±$31kLowest 11% below MA
	Hadley and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA	$409,400±$32kLowest 27% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA	$1,837±$1kHighest 4% above MA
	Sheffield and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 12% below MA	$4,520Lowest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Highest MA: 51.8%	29.2%±21.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hadley and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4% MA: 10%	6.4% MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	21 minHighest 29% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	8.5%±5.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hadley and Sheffield 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	#250 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Southern Berkshire
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Mt Everett Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	7.8Highest
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.