What stands out worked out from the figures below

Panama has the most affordable homes ($105k median).

Hadley has the most people working from home (24.2%).

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	Panama	Hadley
People
Population	451Lowest	2,074Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3.5% NY: +4.2%
Median age	46.6±6.9Lowest 17% above NY	54.1±3Highest 36% above NY
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.4%±3.1Lowest NY: 20.5%	14.4%±3Highest NY: 20.5%
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.3%±6.3Lowest NY: 17.9%	26.1%±4.6Highest NY: 17.9%
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	25%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.8Highest NY: 7%	2.1%±1.8Lowest NY: 7%
	Panama and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,865±$8kLowest 29% below NY	$73,750±$32kHighest 14% below NY
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$105,400±$14kLowest 75% below NY	$194,200±$30kHighest 54% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$785±$43Lowest 52% below NY	$900±$293Highest 44% below NY
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,500Highest 62% below NY	$2,375Lowest 64% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.9%±24.1Lowest NY: 52.1%	44.3%±17Highest NY: 52.1%
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.9%Highest NY: 14%	11.5%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%	83.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 6 yrs newer than NY	1972Highest 13 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 27% below NY	31 minHighest 4% below NY
Work from home	4.9%±2.9Lowest NY: 14.9%	24.2%±23.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Hadley and Panama are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.