What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k 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	Thompson
People
Population	5,306Lowest	9,337Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.8±7.1Lowest 18% above U.S.	54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S.
	Thompson 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 U.S.: 22%	11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hadley and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.2%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thompson 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 U.S.: 35.7%	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,259±$12kHighest 48% above U.S.	$93,629±$18kLowest 16% above U.S.
	Hadley and Thompson 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.	$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest about the U.S. average	$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Hadley and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Highest 69% above U.S.	$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thompson and Hadley 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%	5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley and Thompson 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	#130 of 149 in CT
School district	Hadley	Thompson School District
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Tourtellotte Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	7.9Highest
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.