What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barrington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.7%).

Wallingford has the most affordable homes ($262k median).

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	Barrington	Wallingford
People
Population	9,489Highest	2,286Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2.3Lowest about the U.S. average	45.9±10.8Highest 18% above U.S.
	Wallingford and Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barrington and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,323±$14kHighest 37% above U.S.	$80,230±$15kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$399,100±$30kHighest 20% above U.S.	$261,900±$44kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,867±$194Highest 32% above U.S.	$891±$95Lowest 37% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,121Highest 128% above U.S.	$4,355Lowest 40% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.1%±25.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	14.3%±13.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	18.7%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.1%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#65 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Barrington School District	Mill River Unified Union School District #52
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.