What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ludlow has the most people working from home (9.8%).

Ira has the most expensive homes ($273k 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	Ira
People
Population	444Highest	381Lowest
Median age	46.1±5.8Lowest 19% above U.S.	54.1±5.5Highest 39% above U.S.
	Ira and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±5.9Highest U.S.: 22%	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	12.4%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ira and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,500±$21kLowest 23% below U.S.	$71,827±$5kHighest 11% below U.S.
	Ira and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$133,900±$56kLowest 60% below U.S.	$272,900±$18kHighest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$988±$111Highest 30% below U.S.	$942±$52Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Ludlow and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,655Lowest 47% below U.S.	$4,146Highest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±94.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ludlow and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	14.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1992Highest 12 yrs newer than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.
Work from home	9.8%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ludlow and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.