What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the highest household income ($157k).

Dudley has the most renters (26.9% rent).

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	Monroe	Dudley
People
Population	18,949Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.5±2.2Highest 12% above U.S.	40.2±2.4Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Monroe and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.2%±3Highest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Monroe and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.9%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dudley and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	24.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$157,250±$12kHighest 95% above U.S.	$84,604±$12kLowest 5% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$503,200±$31kHighest 51% above U.S.	$392,600±$19kLowest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$860Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,217±$182Highest 14% below U.S.
	Dudley and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$3,691Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±46.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	47.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Monroe and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above U.S.	27 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	15.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 149 in CT	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Monroe School District	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Masuk High School	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.3Highest
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.