What stands out worked out from the figures below

Epping has the most people working from home (24%).

Rochester has the most affordable homes ($279k 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	Epping	Rochester
People
Population	7,430Lowest	33,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.1%Highest NH: +4.6%	+9.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.1±3.5Highest 4% above NH	43±1.8Lowest about the NH average
	Epping and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±4.8Highest NH: 18.2%	18.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Epping and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±5.2Highest NH: 20.1%	19.6%±1.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Epping and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37%Highest NH: 40.6%	27.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±3.3Highest NH: 6%	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%
	Epping and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,220±$7kHighest 5% above NH	$80,836±$3kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,900±$35kHighest 9% above NH	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,742±$576Highest 17% above NH	$1,369±$72Lowest 8% below NH
	Epping and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,936Highest 4% above NH	$5,334Lowest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.8%±25.9Highest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Epping and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	66%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Highest 10 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 21% above NH	26 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	24%±6.9Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#77 of 120 in NH	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	Epping School District	Rochester School District
High school in town	Epping High School	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	13.2Highest
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.