What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	5,306Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Lowest 18% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.
	Sutton 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%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton 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%	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hadley and Sutton 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%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hadley and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,259±$12kLowest 48% above U.S.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
	Sutton and 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 54% above U.S.	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Lowest 69% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hadley and Sutton 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%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971 9 yrs older than U.S.	1971 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley and Sutton 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	—
School district	Hadley	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	10.4Highest
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.