What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dudley has the most affordable homes ($393k median).

Freetown has the highest household income ($144k).

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	Freetown
People
Population	11,929Highest	9,285Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average	40.9±3.2Highest about the MA average
	Freetown 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%	21.1%±3.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Freetown and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%	17.8%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Freetown and Dudley 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%	40%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA	$143,884±$15kHighest 38% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA	$518,200±$30kHighest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA	$1,891±$363Highest 7% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA	$5,188Highest 13% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.4%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%	39.2%±12.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Dudley and Freetown 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%	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 6% below MA	32 minHighest 11% above MA
Work from home	9.1%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%	7.7%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Dudley and Freetown 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	#161 of 282 in MA
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg	Freetown-Lakeville
High school in town	Shepherd Hill Regional High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3	—
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.