What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lempster has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Lempster	Rye
People
Population	953Lowest	5,611Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50.8±7.2Lowest 17% above NH	55.1±3Highest 27% above NH
	Rye and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	18.2%±4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Rye and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.4%±3.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	31.7%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%
	Rye and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	61.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	2.2%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Lempster and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,607±$12kLowest 13% below NH	$140,655±$39kHighest 42% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$241,900±$29kLowest 40% below NH	$1,028,100±$89kHighest 155% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,781±$156 19% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,558Lowest 32% below NH	$7,519Highest 13% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	44.3%±16.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Lempster and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	6.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	85.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above NH	29 minLowest 8% above NH
Work from home	5%±2.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	30.9%±7.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#2 of 120 in NH
School district	Lempster School District	Rye School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.