What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hudson has the most people working from home (19.6%).

Woonsocket has the most renters (62.8% rent).

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	Woonsocket
People
Population	25,557Lowest	43,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.7±1.9Highest 17% above U.S.	35.7±1.3Lowest 8% below U.S.
Kids under 18	16.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.3%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hudson and Woonsocket 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.	$61,059±$5kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$438,900±$11kHighest 32% above U.S.	$311,000±$15kLowest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,735±$123Highest 23% above U.S.	$1,161±$48Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,636Highest 113% above U.S.	$3,960Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.3%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±5.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Woonsocket 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%	18.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%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.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	19.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#63 of 120 in NH	#37 of 38 in RI
School district	Hudson School District	RISE Prep Mayoral Academy · Woonsocket
High school in town	Alvirne High School	Woonsocket High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	15.2Highest
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.