What stands out worked out from the figures below

Southbridge Town has the most renters (57.3% rent).

Dudley has the most people working from home (9.1%).

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	Southbridge Town	Dudley
People
Population	17,928Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±2.4Highest about the MA average	40.2±2.4Lowest about the MA average
	Southbridge Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.9%±3Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Southbridge Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dudley and Southbridge Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,287±$8kLowest 36% below MA	$84,604±$12kHighest 19% below MA
	Dudley and Southbridge Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$294,800±$18kLowest 48% below MA	$392,600±$19kHighest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,256±$79Highest 29% below MA	$1,217±$182Lowest 31% below MA
	Southbridge Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Highest 27% below MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.8%±8.3Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Southbridge Town and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	42.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest about the MA average	27 minLowest 6% below MA
Work from home	4.8%±1.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#282 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Southbridge	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Southbridge High School	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.