What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norwich has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Hudson has the most affordable homes ($497k 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	Norwich	Hudson
People
Population	3,640Lowest	20,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.8±3.2Lowest 5% above U.S.	42.9±1.7Highest 10% above U.S.
	Hudson and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%	19.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Norwich and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.1%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hudson and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	46.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Norwich and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,313±$12kHighest 74% above U.S.	$103,400±$13kLowest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$637,500±$76kHighest 92% above U.S.	$496,800±$22kLowest 49% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,460±$322Highest 3% above U.S.	$1,406±$82Lowest about the U.S. average
	Norwich and Hudson 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.	$6,892Lowest 121% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.7%±19.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	40.8%±8.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hudson and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	21%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Norwich and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#1 of 70 in VT	#224 of 282 in MA
School district	Norwich School District	Hudson
High school in town	None in town	Hudson High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.