What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Spencer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).

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	Spencer
People
Population	5,306Lowest	12,008Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+2.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Lowest 15% above MA	48.9±6.8Highest 22% above MA
	Spencer 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 MA: 19.4%	16.4%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Spencer and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.2%±4.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	26%±4.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Spencer and 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%	29.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%	5.2%±2.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Spencer 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	$80,533±$11kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA	$382,000±$22kLowest 32% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA	$1,078±$161Lowest 39% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 12% below MA	$4,387Lowest 27% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	50.6%±10.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Spencer 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%	11%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	63%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	15%±7.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hadley and Spencer 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	#261 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Spencer-E Brookfield
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	David Prouty High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	9.9Highest
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.