[1] The fast-flowing river made Dudbridge a natural location for early industry, with the earliest record of a mill dating from 1235.

[1] The Redler's industrial estate is the site of the original Dudbridge Mills, located directly beside the River Frome.

After takeover the site expanded west up to the Stroud railway line spur, producing polyvinyl chloride products, latterly bin bags.

In 1973, when 700 people were employed, the factory manufactured polystyrene, articles in thermo-plastic materials for use in the electrical and building industries, and casein and polyester button blanks.

Redevelopments of the late 1990s brought about the building of a major Sainsbury's supermarket, serving southern Stroud and onwards to Stonehouse.

Along with most of Stroud, Dudbridge has low levels of burglary, theft of motor vehicles, with numbers of serious and fatal road traffic accidents lower than the county average.

The percentage of young offenders resident in the area and of children with low scores at key stages 1–3, are also below the Stroud and county averages.

[1] Opened as "Dudbridge for Stroud,"[12] the buildings included a two-storey station-master's house, and though there was originally only a single platform, the station was a passing place on the single-track branch line.

The new line opened for goods traffic in 1885 and for passengers the following year, at which point Dudbridge became a junction station, and a second platform was built.