What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dudley has the shortest commute (27 min average).

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

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