What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.8%).

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k 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	Jaffrey
People
Population	25,557Highest	5,448Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	-2.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.7±1.9Highest 6% above NH	42.9±3.9Lowest about the NH average
	Hudson and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	23.1%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Jaffrey and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±2.4Highest NH: 20.1%	18.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Hudson and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	31.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±1.7Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±2.4Lowest NH: 6%
	Hudson and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,213±$6kHighest 25% above NH	$92,330±$18kLowest 7% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$438,900±$11kHighest 9% above NH	$245,500±$27kLowest 39% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,735±$123Highest 16% above NH	$962±$202Lowest 35% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,636Highest about the NH average	$6,196Lowest 7% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.3%±7.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	45.7%±23Highest NH: 48.2%
	Jaffrey 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 NH: 7.2%	3.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	81.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above NH	25 minLowest 8% below NH
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest NH: 16.8%	7.5%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 120 in NH	#87 of 120 in NH
School district	Hudson School District	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
High school in town	Alvirne High School	Conant Middle High School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	21.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.