What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has the most kids (21% under 18).

Hudson has the most people working from home (19.6%).

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	Townsend	Hudson
People
Population	9,100Lowest	25,557Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	45.7±1.9Highest 17% above U.S.
	Hudson and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	16.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hudson and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hudson and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kLowest 51% above U.S.	$124,213±$6kHighest 54% above U.S.
	Hudson and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kLowest 30% above U.S.	$438,900±$11kHighest 32% above U.S.
	Hudson and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Lowest 4% above U.S.	$1,735±$123Highest 23% above U.S.
	Hudson and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Lowest 93% above U.S.	$6,636Highest 113% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.3%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Hudson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	31 minLowest 19% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 282 in MA	#63 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Hudson School District
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Alvirne High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	11.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.