What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hartford has the shortest commute (18 min average).

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

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	Hartford	Epping
People
Population	10,736Highest	7,430Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.9Lowest 11% above U.S.	45.1±3.5Highest 16% above U.S.
	Epping and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Epping and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Epping and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	37%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Epping and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,125±$7kLowest 3% below U.S.	$104,220±$7kHighest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$304,500±$26kLowest 8% below U.S.	$436,900±$35kHighest 31% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,218±$118Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,742±$576Highest 23% above U.S.
	Epping and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,773Lowest 85% above U.S.	$6,936Highest 122% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±12.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.8%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Epping and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 30% below U.S.	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.
Work from home	13.9%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Epping and Hartford 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	#34 of 70 in VT	#77 of 120 in NH
School district	Hartford School District	Epping School District
High school in town	Hartford High School	Epping High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Highest	9.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.