What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has the most people working from home (19.6%).

Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Hudson	Brewer
People
Population	20,077Highest	9,652Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.7Highest 10% above U.S.	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Hudson and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brewer and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,400±$13kHighest 28% above U.S.	$66,613±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$496,800±$22kHighest 49% above U.S.	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,406±$82Highest about the U.S. average	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,892Highest 121% above U.S.	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.8%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#224 of 282 in MA	#32 of 133 in ME
School district	Hudson	Brewer Public Schools
High school in town	Hudson High	Brewer High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.2Lowest	14.0Highest
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.