What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Palmer Town has the most affordable homes ($271k 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	Palmer Town
People
Population	11,929Lowest	12,381Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA
	Palmer Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley and Palmer Town 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%	20.9%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Palmer Town 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%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,604±$12kHighest 19% below MA	$78,480±$8kLowest 25% below MA
	Dudley and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,600±$19kHighest 30% below MA	$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,217±$182Highest 31% below MA	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA
	Dudley and Palmer Town 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	$4,540Highest 24% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.9%±10.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Palmer Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%	8.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 6% below MA	31 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	9.1%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Dudley and Palmer Town 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	#252 of 282 in MA
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Shepherd Hill Regional High	Pathfinder Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	9.9Lowest
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.