What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dudley has the most renters (26.9% rent).

Monroe has the highest household income ($157k).

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	Monroe
People
Population	11,929Lowest	18,949Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	40.2±2.4Lowest 3% above U.S.	43.5±2.2Highest 12% above U.S.
	Monroe 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%	25.2%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Monroe and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dudley and Monroe 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%	57.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,604±$12kLowest 5% above U.S.	$157,250±$12kHighest 95% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,600±$19kLowest 18% above U.S.	$503,200±$31kHighest 51% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,217±$182Highest 14% below U.S.	$994±$860Lowest 30% below U.S.
	Dudley and Monroe 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.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	48.8%±46.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Monroe and Dudley 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%	2.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.	34 minHighest 29% above U.S.
Work from home	9.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#142 of 282 in MA	#48 of 149 in CT
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg	Monroe School District
High school in town	Shepherd Hill Regional High	Masuk High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.