What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has the most affordable homes ($347k median).

Rye has the most people working from home (30.9%).

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	Hardwick	Rye
People
Population	2,684Lowest	5,611Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±9.8Lowest 16% above U.S.	55.1±3Highest 42% above U.S.
	Rye and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%	18.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hardwick and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.7%±5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±5.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rye and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	61.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±4.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hardwick and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,000±$22kLowest 7% below U.S.	$140,655±$39kHighest 74% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$346,700±$67kLowest 4% above U.S.	$1,028,100±$89kHighest 209% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,108±$119Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,781±$156Highest 26% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$7,519Highest 141% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±13.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.3%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hardwick and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.	29 minLowest 9% above U.S.
Work from home	8.7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.9%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#163 of 282 in MA	#2 of 120 in NH
School district	Quabbin	Rye School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.