What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northborough has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.2%).

Hadley has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Northborough	Hadley
People
Population	15,750Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45±3Lowest 13% above MA	45.8±7.1Highest 15% above MA
	Hadley and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%	16.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northborough and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.2%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hadley and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	61.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.9%±5.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Hadley and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,199±$19kHighest 47% above MA	$119,259±$12kLowest 15% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$620,000±$24kHighest 10% above MA	$511,000±$43kLowest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,919±$269Highest 9% above MA	$1,402±$132Lowest 20% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,983Highest 33% above MA	$5,271Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.1%±16.3Highest MA: 51.8%	38.6%±18.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northborough and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%	6.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	20 minLowest 33% below MA
Work from home	22.5%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%	20.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Northborough 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	#35 of 282 in MA	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Northborough · Northboro-Southboro	Hadley
High school in town	Algonquin Regional High	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	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.