What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has the most people working from home (19.5%).

Dudley has the most affordable homes ($393k 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	Kingston	Dudley
People
Population	14,027Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±3.9Highest 16% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Kingston and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±3.7Highest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Kingston and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,876±$13kHighest 15% above MA	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$610,600±$30kHighest 9% above MA	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,159±$244Lowest 34% below MA	$1,217±$182Highest 31% below MA
	Dudley and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,650Highest 28% above MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13Lowest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Dudley and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%	6.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 20% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	19.5%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#99 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Kingston · Silver Lake	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Silver Lake Regional High	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.