What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Springfield
People
Population	5,306Lowest	154,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA
Kids under 18	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.3%Highest MA: 47.3%	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%	7.5%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Springfield 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	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest 20% below MA	$1,144±$55Lowest 35% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 12% below MA	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Springfield 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%	25.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	20 minHighest 31% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%	8.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#116 of 282 in MA	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Springfield
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	12.2Highest
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.