What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wellesley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.6%).

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	Wellesley
People
Population	5,306Lowest	30,347Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA	37.1±2.2Lowest 7% below MA
	Hadley and Wellesley 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%	24.1%±2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%	15.5%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	89%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	18.3%±0.7Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,259±$12kLowest 15% above MA	$250,001Highest 140% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA	$1,582,700±$49kHighest 182% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA	$2,886±$360Highest 64% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	44.1%±8.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wellesley 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 MA: 10%	4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 33% below MA	27 minHighest 7% below MA
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	32%±2.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#116 of 282 in MA	#6 of 282 in MA
School district	Hadley	Wellesley
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Wellesley Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	10.8Highest
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.