What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has the most expensive homes ($497k median).

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	20,077Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.7Lowest 10% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.
	Sutton and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton 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%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton 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%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton 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±$13kLowest 28% above U.S.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
	Sutton and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$496,800±$22kHighest 49% above U.S.	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,406±$82Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,892Lowest 121% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.8%±8.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hudson and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hudson and Sutton 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	—
School district	Hudson	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Hudson High	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.2Lowest	10.4Highest
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.