Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Hadley grades B+ overall, 129th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. It has 58 miles of trail and 30% conserved land. It is healthier than 91% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $94K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $384K, 4.4 years of the Amherst Town metro’s $87K median household income. South Hadley’s trail density is 3.2 miles per square mile, above both Massachusetts’ towns (1.8) and U.S. towns (0.4). South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke College. South Hadley has 3 places on the National Register.
Where South Hadley beats most towns.
Woodbridge Street Historic DistrictCensus counts: 759 in 1790, 18,150 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1802 and 6 maps from 1886 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far South Hadley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Hadley. Close and well known come first.
10 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
16 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
15 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
4 mi MuseumVolleyball Hall of Fame
40 mi MountainMount Greylock
34 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank ArenaSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Volleyball Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in South 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 South Hadley.
58 miles of trail in 29 parks and preserves. Mount Holyoke Range State Park, at 1,024 acres with 10.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Holyoke Range State Park | 10.3 mi | 1,024 |
| 2. Bynan Conservation Area | 4.4 mi | 163 |
| 3. Joseph Allen Skinner State Park | 3.6 mi | 360 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the South Hadley school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is South Hadley High, with 479 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael E. Smith Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 505 | C |
| South Hadley HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 479 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 65% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
22% of adults have obesity in South Hadley, below both the Massachusetts town median (28%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 37% of South Hadley adults feel lonely. South Hadley beats the Massachusetts average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| South Hadley | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 28% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 33% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 32% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | South Hadley | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.5% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9% | 12.4% |
| More adults with depression | 27.3% | 23.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical South Hadley home is worth about $384,000, up 0.7% in a year, 41% below the Massachusetts typical home. South Hadley’s median rent is $1,325 a month.
| South Hadley | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,325 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave South Hadley for work: only 13% work in town. The average trip to work in South Hadley is 24 minutes. The top destinations are Springfield (13%), Holyoke (9%) and Chicopee (7%).
| South Hadley | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $94,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 17% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in South Hadley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
South Hadley has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
50% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in South Hadley. South Hadley has lost 2.1% of its people since 2020, down to 17,768 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 23% of residents are 65 or older in South Hadley.
| South Hadley | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 50% | 47% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.6 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
58% women, 42% men
About 72 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.8 points). Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 78% are women (MA 51%).
| South Hadley | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.5% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.3% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 19.8% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.7% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.6% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.6% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.1% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 12% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.7% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.5% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns South Hadley sits closer to the middle.
| South Hadley | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
15 within 15 miles of the center of South Hadley
College town 19 of every 100 South Hadley residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
29.6% of the town is conserved land, across 29 parks and preserves.
3 places in South Hadley on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in South Hadley.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
South Hadley ( , HAD-lee) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts. The town is south of Hadley, Massachusetts. South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley High School, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, and the Berkshire Hills Music Academy.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with South Hadley.
Amherst Town next door grades higher for schools (B to South Hadley’s C) and lower for cost of living (D− to C−).
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Hadley | #129 | B+ | C− | B | C | A |
| Holyoke | #282 | D− | C− | D− | D− | D |
| Granby | #120 | B+ | C | A | D | A |
| Hadley | #199 | B− | C− | D | B | A+ |
| Amherst Town | – | A− | D− | A− | B | A |
| Chicopee | #271 | D | D | C− | C− | C |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. South Hadley grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #129 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, B for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns South Hadley sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
13 notable people were born here, including George Herbert Mead and Thomas Ludger Dupré.
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