What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmer Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

Ludlow has the most people working from home (14%).

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	Ludlow
People
Population	12,381Lowest	20,904Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	-0.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA	44.3±1.8Lowest 11% above MA
	Palmer Town and Ludlow 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%	16.4%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Ludlow and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.8%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Ludlow and Palmer Town 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%	27%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.2%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Ludlow and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,480±$8kLowest 25% below MA	$84,838±$7kHighest 18% below MA
	Ludlow 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	$335,300±$10kHighest 40% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA	$1,223±$82Highest 31% below MA
	Ludlow and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,540Lowest 24% below MA	$4,918Highest 18% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±10.6Highest MA: 51.8%	50.7%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Palmer Town and Ludlow 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%	6.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	77.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1964Highest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	20 minLowest 31% below MA
Work from home	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	14%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#252 of 282 in MA	#154 of 282 in MA
School district	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical	Ludlow
High school in town	Pathfinder Vocational Technical	Ludlow Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	11.1Highest
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.