What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the most expensive homes ($511k median).

South Hadley 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	South Hadley
People
Population	5,306Lowest	17,754Highest
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	42.6±2.6Lowest 7% above MA
	Hadley and South 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%	12.8%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hadley and South 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%	23.3%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and South Hadley 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%	50.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	18.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA	$93,910±$15kLowest 10% below MA
	Hadley and South Hadley 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	$357,900±$19kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA	$1,325±$54Lowest 25% below MA
	Hadley and South 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	$5,500Highest 8% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	48.7%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	South Hadley 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%	7.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	77%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1961Lowest 3 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	24 minHighest 19% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	17.3%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hadley and South 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	#216 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	South Hadley
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	South Hadley High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	8.6Highest
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.