What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	5,306Lowest	16,038Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.8±7.1Highest 18% above U.S.	41.1±2.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Hadley and Windham 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%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	24.2%±4.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hadley and Windham 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.	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$511,000±$43kLowest 54% above U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$132Lowest about the U.S. average	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,271Lowest 69% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham 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%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	20.1%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windham and Hadley 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	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	Hadley	Windham School District
High school in town	Hopkins Academy	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.3Lowest	12.8Highest
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.