What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mason has the most kids (28.8% under 18).

Lee has the most people working from home (27.6%).

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	Mason	Lee
People
Population	1,451Lowest	4,576Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+4.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest about the NH average	42.9±1.9Lowest about the NH average
	Mason and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.8%±6.3Highest NH: 18.2%	21.9%±5.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Mason and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	22.6%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lee and Mason are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	50.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	5.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Lee and Mason are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,090±$3kLowest 12% above NH	$131,579±$54kHighest 33% above NH
	Lee and Mason are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$384,000±$21kLowest 5% below NH	$480,600±$61kHighest 19% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,530±$852 70% above NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,049Lowest 6% above NH	$9,661Highest 45% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	87.2%±42.4Highest NH: 48.2%	38.3%±53.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Mason and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.8%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 9 yrs newer than NH	1987Lowest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	41 minHighest 53% above NH	28 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	20.7%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.6%±8.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Lee and Mason 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	—	#3 of 120 in NH
School district	Mason School District	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	10 photos →

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.