What stands out worked out from the figures below

Starks has the most expensive homes ($149k median).

Ludlow has the most people working from home (9.8%).

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	Starks	Ludlow
People
Population	556Highest	444Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.3% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	46.7±9.4Highest 4% above ME	46.1±5.8Lowest about the ME average
	Starks and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	22.7%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Ludlow and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±2.2Highest ME: 22.4%	12.4%±3.6Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21%Highest ME: 36.2%	16.2%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±2.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.7%±3.1Highest ME: 5.8%
	Ludlow and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,500±$8kHighest 15% below ME	$62,500±$21kLowest 16% below ME
	Starks and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$148,500±$27kHighest 50% below ME	$133,900±$56kLowest 55% below ME
	Starks and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,063±$301Highest 7% below ME	$988±$111Lowest 13% below ME
	Starks and Ludlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,348Lowest 56% below ME	$1,655Highest 45% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±90.3 ME: 48.4%	45.5%±94.3 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	19.2%Highest ME: 10.7%	15.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90%Lowest ME: 74.3%	90.4%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Lowest 11 yrs newer than ME	1992Highest 15 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 33% above ME	21 minLowest 15% below ME
Work from home	3.3%±2.4Lowest ME: 15.9%	9.8%±8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Ludlow and Starks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

ME 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.