What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Swampscott has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

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	Swampscott
People
Population	20,077Highest	15,277Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.7Lowest 7% above MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
	Swampscott 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 MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott 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 MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott 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 about the MA average	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA
	Swampscott 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±$22kLowest 12% below MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,406±$82Lowest 20% below MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,892Lowest 15% above MA	$7,936Highest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.8%±8.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott 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%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 6 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 6% above MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Hudson 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	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Hudson	Swampscott
High school in town	Hudson High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.2Lowest	11.7Highest
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.