What stands out worked out from the figures below

Henniker has the most kids (15.3% under 18).

Waterville Valley has the oldest population (median age 61.6).

Henniker is a college town. 27% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Henniker	Waterville Valley
People
Population	6,197Highest	290Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+27.9% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	31.1±6.1Lowest 28% below NH	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH
Kids under 18	15.3%±3.7Highest NH: 18.2%	8.6%±11.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Henniker and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±6Lowest NH: 20.1%	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	27%±6.5Highest NH: 6%	0.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,206±$21kLowest 4% below NH	$105,625±$50kHighest 7% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$356,700±$49kLowest 11% below NH	$562,500±$193kHighest 40% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,081±$164Lowest 27% below NH	$1,150±$382Highest 23% below NH
	Waterville Valley and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,877Highest 33% above NH	$5,745Lowest 14% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±22.6Highest NH: 48.2%	33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Henniker and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	6.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	81.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 24% below NH	14 minLowest 48% below NH
Work from home	15.5%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.7%±12.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Waterville Valley and Henniker 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	#56 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Henniker School District	Waterville Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.