What stands out worked out from the figures below

Appleton has the most people working from home (11.1%).

Whitefield has the most renters (37.4% rent).

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	Appleton	Whitefield
People
Population	1,360Lowest	2,516Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.2±7.4Lowest 26% above U.S.	51.4±4.6Highest 32% above U.S.
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%	14.3%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Appleton and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.1%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.6%±5.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.	$63,125±$12kHighest 22% below U.S.
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$235,600±$33kLowest 29% below U.S.	$240,400±$22kHighest 28% below U.S.
	Whitefield and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$82Highest 22% below U.S.	$1,077±$160Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Appleton and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.	$4,394Highest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	47.9%±15.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	62.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	11.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Appleton and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#86 of 120 in NH
School district	Appleton Public Schools	White Mountains Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	White Mountains Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	7.9
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.