What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Needham
People
Population	25,557Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.7±1.9Highest 17% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Hudson and Needham 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%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hudson and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hudson and Needham 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.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$438,900±$11kLowest 32% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,735±$123Lowest 23% above U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% 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%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 19% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Hudson School District	Needham
High school in town	Alvirne High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	11.9Highest
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.