What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ludlow has the most people working from home (14%).

Palmer Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

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	Ludlow	Palmer Town
People
Population	20,904Highest	12,381Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+2.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±1.8Lowest 11% above MA	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA
	Palmer Town and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Ludlow and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	20.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Ludlow and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Ludlow and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,838±$7kHighest 18% below MA	$78,480±$8kLowest 25% below MA
	Ludlow and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$335,300±$10kHighest 40% below MA	$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,223±$82Highest 31% below MA	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA
	Ludlow and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,918Highest 18% below MA	$4,540Lowest 24% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.9%±10.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Palmer Town and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Lowest MA: 10%	8.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest same as MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 31% below MA	31 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	14%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#154 of 282 in MA	#252 of 282 in MA
School district	Ludlow	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Ludlow Senior High	Pathfinder Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	9.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.