What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k median).

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	Jaffrey
People
Population	11,929Highest	5,448Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.2±2.4Lowest 3% above U.S.	42.9±3.9Highest 10% above U.S.
	Jaffrey 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 U.S.: 22%	23.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Jaffrey and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Jaffrey 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 U.S.: 35.7%	31.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,604±$12kLowest 5% above U.S.	$92,330±$18kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Jaffrey and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,600±$19kHighest 18% above U.S.	$245,500±$27kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,217±$182Highest 14% below U.S.	$962±$202Lowest 32% below U.S.
	Dudley and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,691Lowest 18% above U.S.	$6,196Highest 99% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.7%±23Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dudley and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 4% above U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	9.1%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dudley and Jaffrey 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	#87 of 120 in NH
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
High school in town	Shepherd Hill Regional High	Conant Middle High School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Lowest	21.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.