What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newport has the most affordable homes ($226k median).

Pepperell has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.9%).

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	Newport	Pepperell
People
Population	6,375Lowest	11,663Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.9±5.2Highest 21% above U.S.	42.4±3.3Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Newport and Pepperell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pepperell and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Newport and Pepperell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pepperell and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,341±$12kLowest about the U.S. average	$124,073±$12kHighest 54% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$225,900±$17kLowest 32% below U.S.	$482,100±$14kHighest 45% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,365±$305Highest 3% below U.S.	$1,295±$238Lowest 8% below U.S.
	Newport and Pepperell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,649Lowest 81% above U.S.	$6,698Highest 115% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±15.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.1%±16.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pepperell and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	9.6%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.1%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#119 of 120 in NH	#153 of 282 in MA
School district	Newport School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Newport Middle High School (High)	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8	—
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.