What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.7%).

Hadley has the most expensive homes ($511k median).

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	Standish	Hadley
People
Population	10,662Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.	45.8±7.1Highest 18% above U.S.
	Hadley and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	16.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Standish and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.2%±4.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	61.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	10.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Standish and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kLowest 30% above U.S.	$119,259±$12kHighest 48% above U.S.
	Hadley and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kLowest about the U.S. average	$511,000±$43kHighest 54% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,402±$132Highest about the U.S. average
	Hadley and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$5,271Highest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley and Standish 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	#18 of 133 in ME	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Hadley
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	7.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.