What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellsworth has the most homeowners (100%).

Peterborough has the most renters (43.7% rent).

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	Ellsworth	Peterborough
People
Population	51Lowest	6,408Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.1% NH: +4.6%
Median age	61.8±13.1Highest 43% above NH	52.1±1.9Lowest 20% above NH
	Ellsworth and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.7%±59.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	16.3%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Peterborough and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.2%±46.4Highest NH: 20.1%	30.6%±5.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Ellsworth and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25%Lowest NH: 40.6%	62.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±33.3Lowest NH: 6%	2%±1.1Highest NH: 6%
	Peterborough and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,375±$39kLowest 10% below NH	$98,401±$8kHighest about the NH average
	Peterborough and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$350,000±$170kLowest 13% below NH	$404,500±$31kHighest about the NH average
	Peterborough and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,395±$209 6% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,813Lowest 43% below NH	$8,655Highest 30% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	29.2%±7.4 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	0%Lowest NH: 7.2%	5.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest NH: 72.8%	56.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1970Lowest 9 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	23 min 16% below NH
Work from home	23.1%±26.3Highest NH: 16.8%	15.8%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Ellsworth and Peterborough 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	—	#59 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	—	Conval Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.0
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.