What stands out worked out from the figures below

Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).

Wells River has the most affordable homes ($171k median).

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	Wells River
People
Population	6,758Highest	340Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	55.5±3.7Highest 43% above U.S.	42.7±12.7Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Meredith and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.1%±6.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wells River and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	16.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.6%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Meredith and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,019±$19kHighest 8% above U.S.	$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$480,100±$48kHighest 44% above U.S.	$170,800±$103kLowest 49% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,149±$304Highest 19% below U.S.	$900±$336Lowest 36% below U.S.
	Meredith and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,006Highest 61% above U.S.	$4,154Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.5%±9.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	47.6%±14.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Meredith and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	38.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	47.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.
Work from home	23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	5.2%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#62 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District	—
High school in town	Inter-Lakes High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1	—
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.