What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the most affordable homes ($165k median).

Hardwick has the most people working from home (8.7%).

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	Monroe	Hardwick
People
Population	122Lowest	2,684Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-10.8% MA: +7.4%
Median age	60.2±9.9Highest 51% above MA	45.3±9.8Lowest 13% above MA
	Monroe and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±28Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.5%±5.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Hardwick and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±27.3Highest MA: 17.9%	22.7%±5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Monroe and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	30.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9%±18.5Highest MA: 7.9%	6.2%±4.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Monroe and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$75,000±$22k 28% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$165,000±$141kLowest 71% below MA	$346,700±$67kHighest 38% below MA
	Hardwick and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,108±$119 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,053Lowest 66% below MA	$4,400Highest 27% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%	59%±13.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Hardwick and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	38.5%Highest MA: 10%	11%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	56 minHighest 93% above MA	31 minLowest 7% above MA
Work from home	0%±41.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	8.7%±4.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Hardwick and Monroe 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	—	#163 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Quabbin
High school in town	—	None in town
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.