What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ossipee has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.6%).

Lancaster has the most people working from home (11.5%).

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	Lancaster
People
Population	4,521Highest	3,216Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Highest NH: +4.6%	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±4.6Highest 15% above NH	45.5±6.9Lowest 5% above NH
	Ossipee and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.9%±6.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lancaster and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.3%±5.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.4%±5.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lancaster 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 NH: 40.6%	30.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.7 NH: 6%	2.9%±2.2 NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,521±$22kHighest 9% below NH	$68,911±$23kLowest 30% below NH
	Ossipee and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$23kHighest 19% below NH	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,601±$245Highest 7% above NH	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Highest 34% below NH	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±16.3Highest NH: 48.2%	36.1%±17Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	16.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest same as NH	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above NH	23 minLowest 14% below NH
Work from home	5.3%±3.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	11.5%±6.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Lancaster 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	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	White Mountains Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.