What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dunbarton has the most kids (19.8% under 18).

Waterville Valley has the shortest commute (14 min average).

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	Dunbarton	Waterville Valley
People
Population	3,097Highest	290Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	48±3.7Lowest 11% above NH	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Dunbarton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±3.8Highest NH: 18.2%	8.6%±11.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Dunbarton and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±4.3Lowest NH: 20.1%	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2Highest NH: 6%	0.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Dunbarton and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,348±$21kHighest 26% above NH	$105,625±$50kLowest 7% above NH
	Dunbarton and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$484,100±$33kLowest 20% above NH	$562,500±$193kHighest 40% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Dunbarton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,166±$70Highest 22% below NH	$1,150±$382Lowest 23% below NH
	Dunbarton and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,233Highest 23% above NH	$5,745Lowest 14% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.7%±60.7Highest NH: 48.2%	33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Dunbarton and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	6.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	81.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 11 yrs newer than NH	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 25% above NH	14 minLowest 48% below NH
Work from home	12.6%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.7%±12.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Waterville Valley and Dunbarton 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	#33 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Dunbarton School District	Waterville Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.