What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pawtucket has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Pawtucket
People
Population	20,077Lowest	75,893Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.7Highest 10% above U.S.	37.1±0.8Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	19.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pawtucket and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pawtucket 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.	$68,310±$4kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$496,800±$22kHighest 49% above U.S.	$325,500±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,406±$82Highest about the U.S. average	$1,208±$39Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,892Highest 121% above U.S.	$4,115Lowest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.8%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pawtucket 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%	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.2%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#224 of 282 in MA	#35 of 38 in RI
School district	Hudson	Blackstone Academy · Pawtucket
High school in town	Hudson High	William E. Tolman High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.2Lowest	14.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.