What stands out worked out from the figures below

Claremont has the most renters (42.8% rent).

Waterford has the highest household income ($109k).

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	Claremont	Waterford
People
Population	13,078Highest	1,279Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±3.5Lowest 10% above U.S.	45.4±5.3Highest 17% above U.S.
	Waterford and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%	16.7%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Claremont and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Waterford and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Claremont and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,096±$8kLowest 27% below U.S.	$109,375±$19kHighest 35% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$204,600±$17kLowest 39% below U.S.	$271,500±$22kHighest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,146±$83 19% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,774Highest 85% above U.S.	$4,238Lowest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.6%±12.5 U.S.: 51.1%	—
Below poverty line	13.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	99%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	8.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.3%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterford and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#103 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Claremont School District	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
High school in town	Stevens High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7	—
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.