What stands out worked out from the figures below

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

Dudley has the most expensive homes ($393k 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	Effingham	Dudley
People
Population	1,912Lowest	11,929Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.9±12.4Highest 21% above U.S.	40.2±2.4Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Effingham and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Dudley and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.9%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Effingham and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	24.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,607±$14kLowest 5% below U.S.	$84,604±$12kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Dudley and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,700±$30kLowest 3% below U.S.	$392,600±$19kHighest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,217±$182Highest 14% below U.S.
	Dudley and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Highest 66% above U.S.	$3,691Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dudley and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above U.S.	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	None in town	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.3
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.