What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.4%).

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($376k 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	Northfield
People
Population	20,077Highest	2,872Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	-5.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.7Lowest 7% above MA	48.9±4.2Highest 22% above MA
Kids under 18	19.3%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%	14.8%±4.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hudson and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	25.5%±5.1Highest MA: 17.9%
	Northfield 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 MA: 47.3%	42.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Northfield 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 about the MA average	$103,375±$10kLowest about the MA average
	Hudson and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$496,800±$22kHighest 12% below MA	$375,800±$31kLowest 33% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,406±$82Highest 20% below MA	$1,142±$200Lowest 35% below MA
	Hudson and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,892Highest 15% above MA	$4,594Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.8%±8.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	49.2%±25.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northfield 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 MA: 10%	6.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 6 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 6% above MA	31 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	16.5%±10.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Hudson and Northfield 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	#224 of 282 in MA	#231 of 282 in MA
School district	Hudson	Pioneer Valley
High school in town	Hudson High	Pioneer Valley Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	10.2Lowest	10.7Highest
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.