What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).

Hadley has the highest household income ($119k).

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	Wells	Hadley
People
Population	11,713Highest	5,306Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±3.8Highest 38% above U.S.	45.8±7.1Lowest 18% above U.S.
	Wells and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wells and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	24.2%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wells and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	61.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	10.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hadley and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,024±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.	$119,259±$12kHighest 48% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$485,300±$23kLowest 46% above U.S.	$511,000±$43kHighest 54% above U.S.
	Hadley and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,350±$297Lowest 4% below U.S.	$1,402±$132Highest about the U.S. average
	Hadley and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.	$5,271Highest 69% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.1%±19.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.6%±18.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells and Hadley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.	20 minLowest 26% below U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.1%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hadley and Wells 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	#22 of 133 in ME	#116 of 282 in MA
School district	Wells-Ogunquit CSD	Hadley
High school in town	Wells High School	Hopkins Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	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.