Photo: Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger) · Public domainHousehold incomes in Hudson top those of 79% of U.S. towns
Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 0.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 47.9 in Boston. The poverty rate is 5.3%, next to 10.0% for Massachusetts as a whole. Jobs and income earn Hudson A−; getting around on foot earns it A−.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Hudson
Hudson trades workers with the towns around it
Hudson has about as many jobs (9,140) as working residents (9,823), but they are mostly different people: 8,538 residents leave for work each day while 7,855 people come in. Only 14% of the jobs in Hudson are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Hudson draws workers from far and wide
The 9,140 jobs in Hudson are filled from a wide area. Hudson’s own residents hold 14% and the ten next-biggest home towns 29%; the other 57% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
How Hudson earns its Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Hudson is better than 81% of U.S. towns, #148 of 283 in Massachusetts. Job access by car holds Hudson’s grade up (ahead of 85% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (4.8%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Hudson could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Hudson on a workday afternoon
On a workday 8,538 residents head out to work, 1,285 work right here, and 7,855 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.93 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
9% of working residents work in Marlborough
Where Hudson clocks in
9% of workers
8% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Factories, building and farms: 31% of the jobs in Hudson
9,140 jobs are based in Hudson.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Hudson, 2013 → 2023: 9,548 → 9,140. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Hudson’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Hudson’s commute takes about 31 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Hudson workers work from home, vs 19% across Massachusetts. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 8,305 commuters (the 20% who work from home are left out). Across Massachusetts: 75% drive alone, 8% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Miles to work from Hudson
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Hudson
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Hudson is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns, #114 of 283 in Massachusetts. Both inputs place Hudson near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 10,333 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 48% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 7% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 0.9 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 57% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.7% of Hudson households have no vehicle (Massachusetts 11.7%, U.S. 8.4%). 1% of Hudson’s commuters take a bus or train.
Hudson next to U.S. towns of 14,000 to 27,000: 603rd of 1,860 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| 2 | West Springfield VA | 22,532 | $163K | 1.9% | 1.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ada Township MI | 14,769 | $168K | 2.0% | 0.7% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 12 | Westwood MA | 16,426 | $223K | 4.6% | 1.9% | 7% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 22 | Hopkinton MA | 19,866 | $223K | 2.5% | 2.3% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | Hingham MA | 24,481 | $178K | 4.3% | 2.4% | 13% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 601 | Abington MA | 17,142 | $125K | 5.2% | 6.0% | 7% | A− |
| 602 | White House TN | 17,872 | $90K | 7.0% | 2.9% | 6% | A− |
| 603 | Hudson MA | 20,341 | $103K | 5.3% | 4.8% | 13% | A− |
| 604 | Westport MA | 16,851 | $96K | 6.7% | 3.0% | 15% | A− |
| 605 | Lebanon OH | 22,110 | $84K | 8.7% | 1.7% | 16% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,860 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Hudson, the top three, the last and three more from Massachusetts.
Work next door: 11% of Hudson’s workers
The biggest share goes to Marlborough (9%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Hudson workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hudson | – | A− | A− | 31 min | $103,400 |
| Stow | under 2% | A | B− | 36 min | $185,809 |
| Berlin | under 2% | A− | B− | 34 min | $121,336 |
| Bolton | under 2% | A | C | 37 min | $205,449 |
| Marlborough | 9% | B+ | A− | 30 min | $91,968 |
| Sudbury | 2% | A | B+ | 35 min | $236,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Hudson’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Hudson: questions
What is the median household income in Hudson?
$103,400 (±$12,712) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,960 across Massachusetts and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Hudson?
5.3%, against 10.0% across Massachusetts and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Hudson?
31 minutes each way on average, against 29 across Massachusetts and 26 nationally. 20% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Hudson work?
13% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Marlborough (9%, 3 mi), Boston (8%, 28 mi), Worcester (5%, 16 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Hudson walkable?
Hudson is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns (Walkability A−): an EPA walkability index of 9.3 out of 20, and 4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Hudson without a car?
1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. 7% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Hudson, from the people who make the trip.
More of Hudson
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.