What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bridgewater has the most affordable homes ($218k median).

Meredith has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.7%).

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	Bridgewater	Meredith
People
Population	980Lowest	6,758Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	57.1±8Highest 47% above U.S.	55.5±3.7Lowest 43% above U.S.
	Bridgewater and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%	12.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bridgewater and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.2%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Meredith and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bridgewater and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,272±$3kLowest 13% below U.S.	$87,019±$19kHighest 8% above U.S.
	Meredith and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$218,300±$55kLowest 34% below U.S.	$480,100±$48kHighest 44% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$778Lowest 40% below U.S.	$1,149±$304Highest 19% below U.S.
	Meredith and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,418Lowest 10% above U.S.	$5,006Highest 61% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.7%±39.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.5%±9.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bridgewater and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.5%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#62 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District
High school in town	—	Inter-Lakes High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.