What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has the most affordable homes ($439k median).

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

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	Andover
People
Population	25,557Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.7±1.9Highest 17% above U.S.	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Hudson and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Andover and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,213±$6kLowest 54% above U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$438,900±$11kLowest 32% above U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,735±$123Lowest 23% above U.S.	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,636Lowest 113% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.3%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Andover and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 19% above U.S.	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 120 in NH	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Hudson School District	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Alvirne High School	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	12.8Highest
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.