What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Winchester has the most expensive homes ($1215k 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	Winchester
People
Population	25,557Highest	23,406Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.7±1.9Highest 17% above U.S.	42.5±1.9Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Hudson and Winchester 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%	27.6%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hudson and Winchester 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%	79.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hudson and Winchester 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.	$230,198±$21kHighest 185% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$438,900±$11kLowest 32% above U.S.	$1,215,200±$39kHighest 265% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,735±$123Lowest 23% above U.S.	$2,279±$481Highest 61% above U.S.
	Winchester and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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%	39.3%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Winchester 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%	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 min 19% above U.S.	31 min 19% above U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.8%±3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 120 in NH	#11 of 282 in MA
School district	Hudson School District	Winchester
High school in town	Alvirne High School	Winchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	14.8Highest
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.