What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bartlett has the most affordable homes ($371k median).

Waterville Valley has the highest household income ($106k).

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	Bartlett	Waterville Valley
People
Population	3,281Highest	290Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+14.8% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	57.4±4.7Lowest 33% above NH	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Bartlett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	7.5%±2.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	8.6%±11.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Waterville Valley and Bartlett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	36.1%±9.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Waterville Valley and Bartlett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.1%±0.4Lowest NH: 6%	0.3%±4.3Highest NH: 6%
	Waterville Valley and Bartlett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,754±$9kLowest 40% below NH	$105,625±$50kHighest 7% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Bartlett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,400±$78kLowest 8% below NH	$562,500±$193kHighest 40% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Bartlett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,676±$97Highest 12% above NH	$1,150±$382Lowest 23% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,512Lowest 62% below NH	$5,745Highest 14% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.5%±37.9Highest NH: 48.2%	33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bartlett and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.5%Highest NH: 7.2%	6.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest NH: 72.8%	81.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 3 yrs newer than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 15% above NH	14 minLowest 48% below NH
Work from home	13.5%±7.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.7%±12.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Waterville Valley and Bartlett 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	#74 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Bartlett School District	Waterville Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.