Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hadley's standout: it is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns. Overall it grades B−, 199th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. It has 59 miles of trail and 40% conserved land and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 85% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is safety: its police reported 21 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 92% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. Hadley’s property crime rate is 36 per 1,000 residents, against 4.9 in Massachusetts’ towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. Hadley's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 95% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Porter-Phelps-Huntington House and Hadley Center Historic District.
Where Hadley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 882 in 1790, 5,325 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1685 and 6 maps from 1886 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Hadley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hadley. Close and well known come first.
17 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
14 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
22 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
36 mi MountainMount Greylock
3 mi MuseumEmily Dickinson Museum
3 mi MuseumEric Carle Museum of Picture Book ArtSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Emily Dickinson Museum: Daderot, Public domain · Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hadley, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Hadley.
Hadley draws workers from Amherst Town and beyond and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts, but it reports more crime than Northampton and its other graded neighbors.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is food insecurity: 6.6% of its 4,558 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.4% statewide.
21% of adults have obesity in Hadley. Hadley beats the Massachusetts average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults have high blood pressure in Hadley.
| Hadley | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 28% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.8% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 25% |
| What stands out | Hadley | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 12.4% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, with 584 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hadley ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 315 | B+ |
| Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 584 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its 6,191 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 94% of Massachusetts towns.
59 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. The trail density in Hadley is 2.4 miles per square mile. Joseph Allen Skinner State Park, at 407 acres with 6.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hadley Water Supply Land | 13.5 mi | 361 |
| 2. Mount Holyoke Range State Park | 6.8 mi | 335 |
| 3. Joseph Allen Skinner State Park | 6.4 mi | 407 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
4,664 jobs are based in Hadley, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19.6 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Hadley for work: only 14% work in town. Hadley’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Amherst Town (16%), Northampton (11%) and Springfield (7%).
| Hadley | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $119,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Each of the 5 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Northampton (C) to Hatfield (A+). Property crime runs at 36 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Massachusetts rate, most of it theft.
Hadley reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 92% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Hadley has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 16° and about 46 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Hadley home is worth about $524,000, up 2.3% in a year, 20% below the Massachusetts typical home.
| Hadley | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,402 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 79% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1994, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hadley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
8 within 15 miles of the center of Hadley
About 11 of every 100 Hadley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Hadley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Hadley on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Hadley.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Hadley ( , HAD-lee) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around the Hampshire and Mountain Farms Malls along Route 9 is a major shopping destination for the surrounding communities.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Hadley.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hadley | #199 | B− | C− | D | B | A+ |
| Hatfield | #130 | B+ | C− | A+ | C | A |
| Northampton | #223 | C+ | D | C | B− | A |
| South Hadley | #129 | B+ | C− | B | C | A |
| Amherst Town | – | A− | D− | A− | B | A |
| Easthampton | #232 | C+ | D | B+ | C+ | — |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hadley grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #199 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, D for safety and B for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 6 years of the area's median household income ($87,001 across the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
8 notable people were born here, including Joseph Hooker and Frederic Dan Huntington.
