What stands out worked out from the figures below

Adams has the most affordable homes ($210k median).

Temple has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.2%).

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	Adams	Temple
People
Population	8,074Highest	1,363Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.3±3.3Lowest 22% above U.S.	49.5±7.3Highest 27% above U.S.
	Temple and Adams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.3%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Adams and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.8%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Adams and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,929±$6kLowest 27% below U.S.	$94,107±$15kHighest 17% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,900±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$401,000±$27kHighest 21% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$74Lowest 32% below U.S.	$1,169±$523Highest 17% below U.S.
	Temple and Adams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,638Lowest 17% above U.S.	$6,983Highest 124% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.1%±10.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	30.2%±54.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Adams and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.	37 minHighest 39% above U.S.
Work from home	8.3%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.9%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#230 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Hoosac Valley Regional	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.