What stands out worked out from the figures below

South Hadley has the most people working from home (17.3%).

Auburn has the most kids (21% under 18).

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	South Hadley	Auburn
People
Population	17,754Highest	16,970Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.6Lowest 7% above MA	44.8±1.6Highest 12% above MA
	Auburn and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	21%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	23.3%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	20.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	South Hadley and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	45.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	5%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,910±$15kLowest 10% below MA	$116,711±$10kHighest 12% above MA
	Auburn and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$357,900±$19kLowest 36% below MA	$400,000±$16kHighest 29% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,325±$54Lowest 25% below MA	$1,467±$155Highest 17% below MA
	Auburn and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,500Highest 8% below MA	$5,289Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.7%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±10.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Auburn and South Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest MA: 10%	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77%Lowest MA: 62.5%	79.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 3 yrs older than MA	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 19% below MA	26 minHighest 12% below MA
Work from home	17.3%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%	14.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	South Hadley and Auburn 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	#216 of 282 in MA	#106 of 282 in MA
School district	South Hadley	Auburn
High school in town	South Hadley High	Auburn Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	12.1Highest
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.