What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hawley has the most affordable homes ($310k median).

Mount Washington has the most expensive homes ($714k 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	Mount Washington
People
Population	277Highest	193Lowest
Median age	56.8±7.2Highest 42% above MA	52.1±10.7Lowest 30% above MA
	Hawley and Mount Washington 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%	16.1%±14.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hawley and Mount Washington 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%	27.5%±13Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hawley and Mount Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	46.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±5.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	2.6%±7.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Mount Washington 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±$26kLowest 16% below MA	$142,500±$26kHighest 37% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$309,600±$38kLowest 45% below MA	$714,300±$141kHighest 27% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,097Highest 32% below MA	$3,316Lowest 45% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%	75%±100Highest MA: 51.8%
	Mount Washington and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest MA: 10%	2.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Highest MA: 62.5%	87.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 6% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	19.3%±12.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.1%±14.2Highest MA: 18.6%
	Mount Washington and Hawley 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.