What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ludlow has the most affordable homes ($134k median).

Brownfield has the most expensive homes ($288k 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	Ludlow	Brownfield
People
Population	444Lowest	1,830Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.1% ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.1±5.8Highest about the ME average	39.9±6.8Lowest 11% below ME
	Ludlow and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±5.9Lowest ME: 18.1%	26.7%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Brownfield and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	18.5%±1.3Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	25.3%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8%	0.7%±0.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Ludlow and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$21kHighest 16% below ME	$60,889±$5kLowest 19% below ME
	Ludlow and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$133,900±$56kLowest 55% below ME	$287,500±$36kHighest 3% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$988±$111Lowest 13% below ME	$1,617±$554Highest 42% above ME
	Brownfield and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,655Lowest 45% below ME	$2,976Highest about the ME average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±94.3Lowest ME: 48.4%	61.8%±43.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Brownfield and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest ME: 74.3%	87.7%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME	1987Lowest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 15% below ME	44 minHighest 80% above ME
Work from home	9.8%±8Highest ME: 15.9%	9.5%±4.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Ludlow and Brownfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	RSU 72/MSAD 72
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.