What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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

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	Hawley
People
Population	122Lowest	277Highest
Median age	60.2±9.9Highest 51% above MA	56.8±7.2Lowest 42% 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	16.4%±28Lowest MA: 19.4%	17.7%±10Highest 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+	31.1%±27.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	37.2%±3.2Highest 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+	19.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	39.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9%±18.5Highest MA: 7.9%	2.2%±5.5Lowest 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	$165,000±$141kLowest 71% below MA	$309,600±$38kHighest 45% 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	$2,053Lowest 66% below MA	$4,097Highest 32% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%	50%±100Highest 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	38.5%Highest MA: 10%	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	94%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	56 minHighest 93% above MA	31 minLowest 6% above MA
Work from home	0%±41.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.3%±12.6Highest 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
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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.