What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the most affordable homes ($194k median).

Mendon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Mendon
People
Population	2,074Highest	1,113Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.1±3Highest 39% above U.S.	53.4±10.5Lowest 37% above U.S.
	Hadley and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%	14.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Mendon and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.1%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29%±1.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Mendon and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Mendon and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,750±$32kLowest 9% below U.S.	$100,524±$23kHighest 25% above U.S.
	Mendon and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$194,200±$30kLowest 42% below U.S.	$357,000±$44kHighest 7% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$293Lowest 36% below U.S.	$1,230±$651Highest 13% below U.S.
	Mendon and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,375Lowest 24% below U.S.	$5,342Highest 71% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.3%±17Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	88.6%±42.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Mendon and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	92.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 19% above U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	24.2%±23.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	22.5%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.