What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has the most people working from home (20.9%).

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	Douglas	Dudley
People
Population	9,207Lowest	11,929Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Highest 10% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Douglas and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dudley and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kHighest 16% below MA	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA
	Douglas and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Highest 6% above MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Dudley and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%	6.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 16% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Douglas High School	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.