What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Peabody has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.3%).

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	Peabody
People
Population	17,754Lowest	54,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±2.6Lowest 7% above MA	45.3±2.4Highest 13% above MA
	Peabody 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%	18.7%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	23.3%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.3%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Peabody and South Hadley 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%	35%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,910±$15kLowest 10% below MA	$96,657±$4kHighest 7% below MA
	Peabody 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	$596,200±$12kHighest 6% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,325±$54Lowest 25% below MA	$1,950±$99Highest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,500Highest 8% below MA	$5,065Lowest 15% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.7%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Peabody 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%Lowest MA: 10%	7.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77%Highest MA: 62.5%	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 3 yrs older than MA	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 19% below MA	26 minHighest 11% below MA
Work from home	17.3%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#216 of 282 in MA	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	South Hadley	Peabody
High school in town	South Hadley High	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	10.3Highest
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.