What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chelsea has the most affordable homes ($182k median).

Epping has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Chelsea	Epping
People
Population	2,823Lowest	7,430Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±3.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	45.1±3.5Highest 16% above U.S.
	Epping and Chelsea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.3%±5.3Highest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chelsea and Epping are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±4.9 U.S.: 17.2%	22.6%±5.2 U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Epping and Chelsea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,471±$10kLowest 6% above U.S.	$104,220±$7kHighest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$182,300±$37kLowest 45% below U.S.	$436,900±$35kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,373±$90Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,742±$576Highest 23% above U.S.
	Epping and Chelsea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,313Lowest 26% below U.S.	$6,936Highest 122% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	15%±19.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.8%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 38% above U.S.	32 minLowest 22% above U.S.
Work from home	6%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#93 of 133 in ME	#77 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 12	Epping School District
High school in town	None in town	Epping High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.3
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.