What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brooksville has the most affordable homes ($391k median).

Rye has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.6%).

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	Brooksville	Rye
People
Population	853Lowest	5,611Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	61.4±6.3Highest 58% above U.S.	55.1±3Lowest 42% above U.S.
	Brooksville and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Rye and Brooksville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	41.6%±10.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brooksville and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	61.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.3 U.S.: 6.4%	2.2%±1.3 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,316±$20kLowest 30% below U.S.	$140,655±$39kHighest 74% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$390,900±$113kLowest 17% above U.S.	$1,028,100±$89kHighest 209% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,307±$68Lowest 8% below U.S.	$1,781±$156Highest 26% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,945Lowest 38% below U.S.	$7,519Highest 141% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±38.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.3%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brooksville and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	29 minHighest 9% above U.S.
Work from home	16.7%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.9%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#2 of 120 in NH
School district	Brooksville Public Schools	Rye School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.