What stands out worked out from the figures below

Buckland has the most people working from home (14.1%).

Dudley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.7%).

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	Buckland	Dudley
People
Population	2,036Lowest	11,929Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.5±5.4Highest 24% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
Kids under 18	17.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,877±$6kLowest 20% below MA	$84,604±$12kHighest 19% below MA
	Dudley and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$321,400±$25kLowest 43% below MA	$392,600±$19kHighest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,111±$213Lowest 37% below MA	$1,217±$182Highest 31% below MA
	Dudley and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,761Highest 21% below MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58%±20.9Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Buckland and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	14.1%±5.6Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Buckland and Dudley 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	—	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Mohawk Trail	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Mohawk Trail Regional School	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	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.