What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($131k median).

Wakefield has the most people working from home (15.1%).

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	Berlin	Wakefield
People
Population	9,383Highest	5,405Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.6±2.8Lowest 3% above NH	49.4±4.1Highest 14% above NH
	Wakefield and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	18.7%±3.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Wakefield and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%	18.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Berlin and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	26.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Highest NH: 6%	1.4%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Berlin and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,180±$5kLowest 54% below NH	$100,976±$11kHighest about the NH average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,000±$15kLowest 67% below NH	$322,800±$43kHighest 20% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$815±$141Lowest 45% below NH	$1,375±$434Highest 8% below NH
	Wakefield and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,437Highest 48% below NH	$2,954Lowest 56% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±12Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±82.9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Berlin and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	96.8%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 41 yrs older than NH	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below NH	36 minHighest 34% above NH
Work from home	3.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	15.1%±9.3Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 120 in NH	#118 of 120 in NH
School district	Berlin School District	Wakefield School District
High school in town	Berlin Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	8.2	—
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.