What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mount Washington has the most expensive homes ($714k median).

Hawley has the most affordable homes ($310k 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	Mount Washington	Hawley
People
Population	193Lowest	277Highest
Median age	52.1±10.7Lowest 30% above MA	56.8±7.2Highest 42% 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	16.1%±14.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	17.7%±10Highest 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+	27.5%±13Lowest MA: 17.9%	37.2%±3.2Highest 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+	46.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	39.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±7.7Highest MA: 7.9%	2.2%±5.5Lowest 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	$142,500±$26kHighest 37% above MA	$87,500±$26kLowest 16% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$714,300±$141kHighest 27% above MA	$309,600±$38kLowest 45% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,316Lowest 45% below MA	$4,097Highest 32% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	50%±100Lowest 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	2.1%Lowest MA: 10%	7.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	94%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	31 minHighest 6% above MA
Work from home	30.1%±14.2Highest MA: 18.6%	19.3%±12.6Lowest 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 Our Story	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.