Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hudson grades B+ overall, ranked 138th of 282 in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 89% of the country and the median household earns $103K. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its public schools trail 73% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $614K, 5.3 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. Hudson’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile, near the Massachusetts town median (1.8) and above the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Goodale Homestead and Col. Adelbert Mossman House. Hudson is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns.
Where Hudson beats most towns.
Census counts: 3,389 in 1870, 20,092 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1882 and 8 maps from 1887 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Hudson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hudson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw28 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
11 mi LakeWalden Pond
Big draw23 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 mi AttractionFreedom TrailFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hudson, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Hudson.
Hudson has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in Massachusetts, trades workers with Marlborough and other neighbors and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts.
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 57% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
26% of Hudson adults have obesity, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 28% and U.S. towns at 35%. 30% of Hudson adults have high blood pressure. Hudson beats the Massachusetts average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Hudson | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 28% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Hudson | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.2% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hudson school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hudson High, with 784 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| David J. Quinn Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–7 | Grades 5–7 | 546 | C |
| Hudson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 784 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
22 miles of trail in 27 parks and preserves. Marlborough-Sudbury State Forest, at 106 acres with 2.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Marlborough-Sudbury State Forest | 2.8 mi | 106 |
| 2. Danforth Creek Property | 2.1 mi | 62 |
| 3. Old North Road Conservation Land | 0.8 mi | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hudson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Bedford weather station, 15 miles away, records that about 13 days a year reach 90°, the highest of 539 Massachusetts places with climate records.
Hudson has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Hudson has about as many jobs (9,140) as working residents, but only 1,285 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Hudson for work: only 13% work in town. Hudson’s average trip to work is 31 minutes. The top destinations are Marlborough (9%), Boston (8%) and Worcester (5%).
| Hudson | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 20% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $103,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (24% statewide). 46% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Hudson.
| Hudson | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 47% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.9 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.1 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Hudson | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.6% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.3% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.5% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.9% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.4% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 21% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.1% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 18% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The violent crime rate in Hudson is 2.8 per 1,000 residents. Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Hudson sits closer to the middle.
| Hudson | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Hudson home is worth about $614,000, up 2% in a year, 6% below the Massachusetts typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7 within 15 miles of the center of Hudson
About 4 of every 100 Hudson residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
3 places in Hudson on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Hudson.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Hudson is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, with a total population of 20,092 as of the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. Before its incorporation as a town in 1866, Hudson was a neighborhood and unincorporated village of Marlborough, Massachusetts, and was known as Feltonville. From approximately 1850 until the last shoe factory burned down in 1968, Hudson was a mill town specializing in the production of shoes and related products. At one point, the town had 17 shoe factories, many of them powered by the Assabet River, which runs through town. The many factories in Hudson attracted immigrants from Canada and Europe. Today most r…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Hudson.
Berlin next door grades higher for schools (A− to Hudson’s C) and lower for cost of living (D− to C).
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Hudson grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #138 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, B for safety and C for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Hudson sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
13 notable people were born here, including William David Coolidge and Paul Cellucci.
