What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hawley has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Monroe has the most affordable homes ($165k 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	Hawley	Monroe
People
Population	277Highest	122Lowest
Median age	56.8±7.2Lowest 42% above MA	60.2±9.9Highest 51% above MA
	Monroe and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±10Highest MA: 19.4%	16.4%±28Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hawley and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.2%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%	31.1%±27.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hawley and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	19.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±5.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	9%±18.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Monroe and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,500±$26k 16% below MA	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$309,600±$38kHighest 45% below MA	$165,000±$141kLowest 71% below MA
	Hawley and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,097Highest 32% below MA	$2,053Lowest 66% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	0%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hawley and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%	38.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 6% above MA	56 minHighest 93% above MA
Work from home	19.3%±12.6Highest MA: 18.6%	0%±41.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hawley and Monroe 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

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.