What stands out worked out from the figures below

Meredith has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.7%).

Ipswich has the highest household income ($139k).

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	Meredith	Ipswich
People
Population	6,758Lowest	13,930Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.5±3.7Highest 43% above U.S.	47.2±3.5Lowest 21% above U.S.
Kids under 18	12.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.9%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	60.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ipswich and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,019±$19kLowest 8% above U.S.	$138,750±$16kHighest 72% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$480,100±$48kLowest 44% above U.S.	$745,400±$40kHighest 124% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$304Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,598±$90Highest 13% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,006Lowest 61% above U.S.	$7,960Highest 155% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.5%±9.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.5%±12.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ipswich and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	18.9%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Meredith and Ipswich 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	#62 of 120 in NH	#101 of 282 in MA
School district	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District	Ipswich
High school in town	Inter-Lakes High School	Ipswich High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	9.0Lowest
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.