What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orford has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Temple has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.2%).

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	Orford	Temple
People
Population	1,295Lowest	1,363Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Lowest 13% above NH	49.5±7.3Highest 14% above NH
	Temple and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	14.3%±3.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Temple and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	17.8%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44%Highest NH: 40.6%	36.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	1.7%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,571±$24kLowest 7% below NH	$94,107±$15kHighest 5% below NH
	Temple and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kLowest 32% below NH	$401,000±$27kHighest about the NH average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Highest 15% below NH	$1,169±$523Lowest 22% below NH
	Orford and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Lowest 12% below NH	$6,983Highest 5% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7Highest NH: 48.2%	30.2%±54.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Orford and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	37 minHighest 37% above NH
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.9%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Temple and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	Rivendell Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.