What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Peabody has the most expensive homes ($596k 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	Peabody
People
Population	20,077Lowest	54,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.7Lowest 7% above MA	45.3±2.4Highest 13% above MA
	Peabody and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%	18.7%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Hudson and Peabody 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%	24.3%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	35%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Peabody 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	$96,657±$4kLowest 7% below MA
	Hudson and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$496,800±$22kLowest 12% below MA	$596,200±$12kHighest 6% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,406±$82Lowest 20% below MA	$1,950±$99Highest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,892Highest 15% above MA	$5,065Lowest 15% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.8%±8.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest MA: 10%	7.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 6 yrs newer than MA	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 6% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#224 of 282 in MA	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	Hudson	Peabody
High school in town	Hudson High	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.2Lowest	10.3Highest
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.