What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hadley has the most people working from home (24.2%).

Panama has the most affordable homes ($105k 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	Panama
People
Population	2,074Highest	451Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.5% NY: +4.2%	—
Median age	54.1±3Highest 36% above NY	46.6±6.9Lowest 17% above NY
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3Highest NY: 20.5%	12.4%±3.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.1%±4.6Highest NY: 17.9%	23.3%±6.3Lowest NY: 17.9%
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25%Highest NY: 40.2%	19.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.8Lowest NY: 7%	4.7%±2.8Highest NY: 7%
	Panama 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±$32kHighest 14% below NY	$60,865±$8kLowest 29% below NY
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$194,200±$30kHighest 54% below NY	$105,400±$14kLowest 75% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$293Highest 44% below NY	$785±$43Lowest 52% below NY
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,375Lowest 64% below NY	$2,500Highest 62% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.3%±17Highest NY: 52.1%	41.9%±24.1Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest NY: 14%	12.9%Highest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	55.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY	1965Lowest 6 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 4% below NY	24 minLowest 27% below NY
Work from home	24.2%±23.4Highest NY: 14.9%	4.9%±2.9Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Hadley and Panama 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

NY 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.