What stands out worked out from the figures below

Center Harbor has the most expensive homes ($464k median).

Ellsworth has the most people working from home (23.1%).

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	Center Harbor	Ellsworth
People
Population	955Highest	51Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.1% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	60.4±4.8Lowest 39% above NH	61.8±13.1Highest 43% above NH
	Ellsworth and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.9%±5.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	13.7%±59.8Highest NH: 18.2%
	Ellsworth and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.5%±13.2Highest NH: 20.1%	39.2%±46.4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Center Harbor and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	25%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±1.1Highest NH: 6%	0%±33.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Center Harbor and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,313±$16kHighest 5% above NH	$89,375±$39kLowest 10% below NH
	Center Harbor and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$463,800±$74kHighest 15% above NH	$350,000±$170kLowest 13% below NH
	Center Harbor and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,667Highest 30% below NH	$3,813Lowest 43% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	14.3%±59.4 NH: 48.2%	—
Below poverty line	2%Highest NH: 7.2%	0%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91%Lowest NH: 72.8%	100%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 min 8% below NH	—
Work from home	8.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.1%±26.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Ellsworth and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.