What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mount Washington has the most kids (16.1% under 18).

Alford has the oldest population (median age 63.1).

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	Mount Washington	Alford
People
Population	193Lowest	433Highest
Median age	52.1±10.7Lowest 30% above MA	63.1±2.4Highest 58% above MA
	Alford and Mount Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.1%±14.2Highest MA: 19.4%	5.1%±6.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Mount Washington and Alford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±13Lowest MA: 17.9%	43%±4.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Alford and Mount Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	63.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±7.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	3%±3.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Alford and Mount Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$142,500±$26kHighest 37% above MA	$121,042±$11kLowest 16% above MA
	Mount Washington and Alford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$714,300±$141kLowest 27% above MA	$794,400±$144kHighest 41% above MA
	Alford and Mount Washington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,750±$1k about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,316Lowest 45% below MA	$3,913Highest 35% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	0%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Mount Washington and Alford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest MA: 10%	2.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	26 minLowest 12% below MA
Work from home	30.1%±14.2Highest MA: 18.6%	22.2%±6.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Mount Washington and Alford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.