What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Springfield	Dudley
People
Population	154,749Highest	11,929Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA	40.2±2.4Highest about the MA average
Kids under 18	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Springfield and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dudley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	13.1%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA	$84,604±$12kHighest 19% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA	$392,600±$19kHighest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,144±$55Lowest 35% below MA	$1,217±$182Highest 31% below MA
	Dudley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,695Highest 38% below MA	$3,691Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%	47.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 31% below MA	27 minHighest 6% below MA
Work from home	8.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	9.1%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
	Dudley and Springfield 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	#276 of 282 in MA	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Springfield	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Springfield Central High	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Lowest	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.