What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).

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	Wells
People
Population	5,306Lowest	11,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Lowest 18% above U.S.	53.6±3.8Highest 38% above U.S.
	Wells 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%	18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wells 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 U.S.: 17.2%	31%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wells 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%	43.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hadley and Wells 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 48% above U.S.	$88,024±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kHighest 54% above U.S.	$485,300±$23kLowest 46% above U.S.
	Hadley and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Highest about the U.S. average	$1,350±$297Lowest 4% below U.S.
	Hadley and Wells 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.	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±19.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells 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 U.S.: 12.5%	6.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley and Wells 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	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	Hadley	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	11.4Highest
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.