What stands out worked out from the figures below

New Ipswich has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.1%).

Winchendon has the most affordable homes ($324k 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	New Ipswich	Winchendon
People
Population	5,310Lowest	10,440Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.9±2.4Lowest 5% below U.S.	39.6±1.9Highest about the U.S. average
	Winchendon and New Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	29.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	New Ipswich and Winchendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.3%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.9%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Winchendon and New Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Winchendon and New Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,507±$9kHighest 37% above U.S.	$75,690±$14kLowest 6% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,400±$31kHighest 18% above U.S.	$323,800±$19kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$882±$469Lowest 38% below U.S.	$1,255±$163Highest 11% below U.S.
	Winchendon and New Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,647Highest 81% above U.S.	$3,780Lowest 21% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.7%±41.5 U.S.: 51.1%	61.7%±17.6 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	76.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	32 minLowest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	New Ipswich and Winchendon 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	#82 of 120 in NH	#269 of 282 in MA
School district	Mascenic Regional School District	Winchendon
High school in town	Mascenic Regional High School	Murdock High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Highest	11.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.