What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has the highest household income ($124k).

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Springfield
People
Population	25,557Lowest	154,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.7±1.9Highest 17% above U.S.	33.7±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	16.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.2%±0.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13.2%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.5%±0.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Springfield 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.	$52,656±$2kLowest 35% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$438,900±$11kHighest 32% above U.S.	$245,000±$4kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,735±$123Highest 23% above U.S.	$1,144±$55Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,636Highest 113% above U.S.	$3,695Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.3%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.7%±3.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	25.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	49.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 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%	8.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 120 in NH	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Hudson School District	Springfield
High school in town	Alvirne High School	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	12.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.