What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Mercer has the most people working from home (20.5%).

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	Mercer
People
Population	444Lowest	718Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	46.1±5.8Highest about the ME average	43.4±4.5Lowest 3% below ME
	Ludlow and Mercer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%	20.1%±6.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Ludlow and Mercer 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%	25.9%±5.6Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%	34.1%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8%	0.7%±1.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Ludlow and Mercer 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 16% below ME	$71,107±$2kHighest 5% below ME
	Mercer 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 55% below ME	$238,500±$32kHighest 20% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$988±$111Lowest 13% below ME	$1,422±$249Highest 25% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,655Lowest 45% below ME	$1,970Highest 35% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±94.3Highest ME: 48.4%	18.5%±74Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Ludlow and Mercer 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%	13.6%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	92.1%Highest 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	30 minHighest 23% above ME
Work from home	9.8%±8Lowest ME: 15.9%	20.5%±8.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Mercer and Ludlow 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

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.