What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has the most people working from home (13.3%).

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	Gardner	Dudley
People
Population	21,148Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Gardner and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Gardner and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA	$84,604±$12kHighest 19% below MA
	Dudley and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA	$392,600±$19kHighest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA	$1,217±$182Highest 31% below MA
	Dudley and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Highest 31% below MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Gardner and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.7%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Gardner and Dudley 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	#273 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Gardner	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Gardner High	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	14.3Highest
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.