What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has the most affordable homes ($157k median).

Jackson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.3%).

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	Jackson
People
Population	1,305Highest	567Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.8%Lowest ME: +2.6%	+11.3%Highest ME: +2.6%
Median age	47.5±6.1Highest 6% above ME	37.7±5.8Lowest 16% below ME
	Hudson and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±4Highest ME: 18.1%	17.1%±4.3Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Hudson and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.9%±2.6Highest ME: 22.4%	17.5%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Hudson and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.1%Lowest ME: 36.2%	41.9%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±3.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.4%±1.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Hudson and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,933±$12kLowest 9% below ME	$75,167±$19kHighest about the ME average
	Jackson and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$157,300±$9kLowest 47% below ME	$231,500±$16kHighest 22% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$307Highest 5% below ME	$629±$12Lowest 45% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,543Lowest 49% below ME	$2,651Highest 13% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	10.3%±51.4Highest ME: 48.4%	6.3%±60.5Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Hudson and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%	13.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.4%Highest ME: 74.3%	78.6%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Lowest 10 yrs newer than ME	1993Highest 16 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 24% above ME	35 minHighest 41% above ME
Work from home	8.6%±3.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	15.3%±6.5Highest ME: 15.9%
	Jackson and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.