What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k median).

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Jaffrey	Needham
People
Population	5,448Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±3.9Lowest 10% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Needham and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Jaffrey and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,330±$18kLowest 14% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,500±$27kLowest 26% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$962±$202Lowest 32% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,196Lowest 99% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±23Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	7.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#87 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District	Needham
High school in town	Conant Middle High School (H)	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	21.3Highest	11.9Lowest
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.