What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ossipee has the most kids (19.5% under 18).

Fairlee has the most people working from home (15%).

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	Ossipee	Fairlee
People
Population	4,521Highest	1,066Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50±4.6Lowest 29% above U.S.	56.2±8.7Highest 44% above U.S.
	Fairlee and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	12.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Ossipee and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.3%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Fairlee and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fairlee and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,521±$22kHighest 12% above U.S.	$74,760±$10kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Ossipee and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$23kHighest about the U.S. average	$274,200±$39kLowest 18% below U.S.
	Ossipee and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,601±$245Highest 13% above U.S.	$1,083±$242Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Lowest 41% above U.S.	$5,617Highest 80% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±16.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	89.2%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairlee and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 27% above U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15%±7.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Fairlee and Ossipee 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	#100 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Rivendell Interstate School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.