Compare towns
Holyoke vs Suffield vs South Hadley
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Holyoke has the most renters (58.7% rent).
Suffield has the highest household income ($119k).
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.
| Measure | Holyoke | Suffield | South Hadley |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 37,813Highest |
15,702Lowest |
17,754 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | +3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 40±1.6Lowest about the U.S. average |
44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S. |
42.6±2.6 10% above U.S. |
| Suffield and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 22% |
16.2%±2 U.S.: 22% |
12.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 20.1%±1.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
18.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
23.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| South Hadley and Holyoke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 25.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
40.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
50.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±1.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
18.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $53,605±$3kLowest 34% below U.S. |
$119,472±$13kHighest 48% above U.S. |
$93,910±$15k 16% above U.S. |
| Suffield and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $274,100±$8kLowest 18% below U.S. |
$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S. |
$357,900±$19k 8% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,021±$60Lowest 28% below U.S. |
$1,424±$141Highest about the U.S. average |
$1,325±$54 6% below U.S. |
| Suffield and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,065Lowest 30% above U.S. |
$6,456Highest 107% above U.S. |
$5,500 76% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
51%±4.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
48.7%±10.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Holyoke and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 27%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.5% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 41.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
77% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S. |
1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S. |
1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 27% below U.S. |
26 minHighest 3% below U.S. |
24 min 11% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 11.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
17.3%±4.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Suffield and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #281 of 282 in MA | #57 of 149 in CT | #216 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Holyoke · Springfield | Suffield School District | South Hadley |
| High school in town | Holyoke High | Suffield High School | South Hadley High |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.5Highest |
10.9 |
8.6Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.