What stands out worked out from the figures below

Groton has the most people working from home (27.5%).

Dudley has the most affordable 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	Groton	Dudley
People
Population	11,390Lowest	11,929Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±2.7Highest 4% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Groton and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.3%±4.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Groton and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.3%±2.8Highest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Groton and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$192,958±$27kHighest 86% above MA	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$743,400±$46kHighest 32% above MA	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,458±$335Highest 17% below MA	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA
	Groton and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.8%±17Lowest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Dudley and Groton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest MA: 10%	6.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 24 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	27.5%±5.8Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#39 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Groton-Dunstable	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Groton Dunstable Regional	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.7Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.