What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washington has the most expensive homes ($371k 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	Washington
People
Population	277Lowest	526Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-8.2% MA: +7.4%
Median age	56.8±7.2Highest 42% above MA	56.5±7.7Lowest 41% above MA
	Hawley and 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%	13.3%±5.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hawley and 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%	35.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Hawley and 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%Highest MA: 47.3%	32.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±5.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	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	$95,278±$12kHighest 8% below MA
	Washington and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$309,600±$38kLowest 45% below MA	$370,700±$32kHighest 34% below MA
	Washington and Hawley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,097Lowest 32% below MA	$4,381Highest 27% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	0%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Hawley and Washington 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%	2.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Highest MA: 62.5%	92.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 6% above MA	25 minLowest 13% below MA
Work from home	19.3%±12.6Highest MA: 18.6%	12.9%±10.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hawley and Washington 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.