What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jackson has the most expensive homes ($719k median).

Waterville Valley has the most kids (8.6% under 18).

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	Jackson	Waterville Valley
People
Population	897Highest	290Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+26% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	60.5±2.5Lowest 40% above NH	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	4.1%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	8.6%±11.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Waterville Valley and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.4%±6.4Lowest NH: 20.1%	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Waterville Valley and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±3.4Highest NH: 6%	0.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Jackson and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$117,986±$46kHighest 19% above NH	$105,625±$50kLowest 7% above NH
	Jackson and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$719,300±$109kHighest 79% above NH	$562,500±$193kLowest 40% above NH
	Jackson and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,750±$1kHighest 17% above NH	$1,150±$382Lowest 23% below NH
	Jackson and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,001Highest 10% below NH	$5,745Lowest 14% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.1%±59.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	33.3%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Waterville Valley and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	6.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	81.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minHighest 31% below NH	14 minLowest 48% below NH
Work from home	22.2%±10.2Highest NH: 16.8%	19.7%±12.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Jackson and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Jackson 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.