What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dedham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k median).

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	Dedham	Jaffrey
People
Population	25,237Highest	5,448Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±1.6Highest 15% above U.S.	42.9±3.9Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Dedham and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Jaffrey and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dedham and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	31.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dedham and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$128,955±$10kHighest 60% above U.S.	$92,330±$18kLowest 14% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$661,800±$16kHighest 99% above U.S.	$245,500±$27kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,042±$182Highest 45% above U.S.	$962±$202Lowest 32% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,918Highest 154% above U.S.	$6,196Lowest 99% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±10Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.7%±23Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dedham and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	20%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#119 of 282 in MA	#87 of 120 in NH
School district	Dedham	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
High school in town	Dedham High	Conant Middle High School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	21.3Highest
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.