What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northbridge has the most people working from home (16.2%).

Dudley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.7%).

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	Northbridge	Dudley
People
Population	16,458Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Highest 9% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Northbridge and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northbridge and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dudley and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,319±$19kHighest 7% above MA	$84,604±$12kLowest 19% below MA
	Northbridge and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kHighest 20% below MA	$392,600±$19kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Lowest 31% below MA	$1,217±$182Highest 31% below MA
	Dudley and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Highest 20% below MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northbridge and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#226 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Northbridge	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Northbridge High	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.