What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hampton has the most affordable homes ($545k median).

Wellesley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.6%).

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	Hampton	Wellesley
People
Population	10,101Lowest	30,347Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.2±1.7Highest 32% above U.S.	37.1±2.2Lowest 5% below U.S.
Kids under 18	14.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.1%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	26.9%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	89%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	18.3%±0.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,163±$4kLowest 20% above U.S.	$250,001Highest 210% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$545,300±$63kLowest 64% above U.S.	$1,582,700±$49kHighest 376% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,654±$93Lowest 17% above U.S.	$2,886±$360Highest 104% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,872Lowest 120% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±13.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.1%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hampton and Wellesley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4% U.S.: 12.5%	4% U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.
Work from home	20.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#31 of 120 in NH	#6 of 282 in MA
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.