What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ludlow has the most renters (48.6% rent).

Waltham has the highest household income ($98k).

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	Waltham
People
Population	808Highest	452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	48.7±5.6Lowest 13% above VT	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT
	Waltham and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±3.7Highest VT: 17.9%	12.8%±7.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Ludlow and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.4%±0.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Waltham and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,667±$19kLowest 30% below VT	$97,500±$14kHighest 20% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$304,000±$32kLowest 4% below VT	$329,700±$51kHighest 4% above VT
	Waltham and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,018±$91Lowest 18% below VT	$1,096±$113Highest 11% below VT
	Waltham and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,237Lowest 16% below VT	$5,714Highest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33%±13.8Highest VT: 48.4%	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Ludlow and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 10% below VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	17.3%±6.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Waltham 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

VT 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.