What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmer Town has the most affordable homes ($271k median).

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	Palmer Town	Dudley
People
Population	12,381Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Palmer Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dudley and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Palmer Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,480±$8kLowest 25% below MA	$84,604±$12kHighest 19% below MA
	Dudley and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA	$392,600±$19kHighest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA	$1,217±$182Highest 31% below MA
	Dudley and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,540Highest 24% below MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±10.6Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Palmer Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
	Dudley and Palmer Town 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	#252 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Pathfinder Vocational Technical	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	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.