What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has the most people working from home (18.3%).

Dudley has the shortest commute (27 min average).

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	Bellingham	Dudley
People
Population	17,410Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA	40.2±2.4Highest about the MA average
	Dudley and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bellingham and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dudley and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,307±$10kHighest 21% above MA	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$450,700±$13kHighest 20% below MA	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Highest 4% above MA	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,030Highest 16% below MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Bellingham and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%	6.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 24% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#232 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellingham	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Bellingham High School	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.