Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

South Hadley

Pioneer Valley · pop. 17,800

South Hadley is Mount Holyoke College's home, a residential town with strong arts access from the Five Colleges consortium, affordable housing, and a quiet downtown strip.

College TownFamily Suburb
Livability Index
58
/ 100
Ranks #103 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$379k
4× household income
Household income
$94k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
110 min
peak driving
Population
17,800
5-yr trend 58/100

How South Hadley scores

Schools
75
Safety
80
Walkability
35
Transit
18
Biking
30
Dining
52
Nightlife
35
Arts & Culture
80
Green Space
40
Diversity
35
Climate
72

Who lives in South Hadley

U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 estimates. Rounded.

Median age
44.6
Foreign-born
8.2%
Bachelor's or higher
49%
Population
17k
White84.7%
Hispanic / Latino6.4%
Asian5.1%
Black1.3%
Other / multi2.5%

Schools in South Hadley

South Hadley School District. Massachusetts DESE FY2024 (FY2025 graduation rates).

Overall vs MA
Below average
41/100
ELA · 3-8
p31
35.1%
Math · 3-8
p34
36.2%
ELA · 10
p52
61.1%
Math · 10
p42
45.5%
Grad rate
93.2%
Below average
Spend / pupil
$20.2k
Bottom 25%
Teachers / 100
9.2
Top 25% in MA
Enrollment
1,644

Source: Massachusetts DESE Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub. Percentile ranks against 194 MA towns in our index.

The honest read

Best for
Academic families, college staff, and buyers who want Five Colleges access without Amherst prices.
The tradeoff
No commuter rail and limited retail; the town is economically anchored to the college and feels quiet outside of the academic calendar.

You've now seen the honest read. Here's what most sites don't give you.

Want more context on South Hadley than a page can hold?

I can tell you which streets trade differently, what actually shows up under $0.4M, and whether the schools story matches what you'd want for your kid. I reply personally, within 1 business day, no auto-dialer.

Compare on your terms

These scores reflect a neutral weighting. Your priorities are not neutral. Open the full atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and see where South Hadley lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near South Hadley.

South Hadley appears in

Rankings where South Hadley qualifies on the data. See where it lands vs the other 14 picks.

Popular comparisons

Common head‑to‑heads people search when looking at South Hadley.

Want my honest read on South Hadley?

I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll reply personally within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.