What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Royalton has the most affordable homes ($263k 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	Royalton
People
Population	25,557Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.7±1.9Highest 17% above U.S.	43.9±10.1Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Hudson and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±2.1Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hudson and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Royalton and Hudson 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%	42.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Royalton 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±$6kHighest 54% above U.S.	$103,938±$24kLowest 29% above U.S.
	Hudson and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$438,900±$11kHighest 32% above U.S.	$263,200±$73kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,735±$123Highest 23% above U.S.	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,636Highest 113% above U.S.	$4,675Lowest 50% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.3%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	36.7%±16.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Royalton and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	63.5%Lowest 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.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±7.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hudson and Royalton 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	#63 of 120 in NH	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	Hudson School District	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	Alvirne High School	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	8.7Lowest
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.