What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northampton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

Hadley 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Northampton	Hadley
People
Population	30,962Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA
	Hadley and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Hadley and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northampton and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA	$119,259±$12kHighest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA	$511,000±$43kHighest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA
	Northampton and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Highest 5% below MA	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 26% below MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Northampton and 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	#159 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Hadley
High school in town	Northampton High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	7.3Lowest
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.