What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ossipee has the most affordable homes ($326k median).

Lyme has the most people working from home (27.2%).

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	Ossipee	Lyme
People
Population	4,521Highest	1,710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±4.6Highest 15% above NH	48.6±7.8Lowest 12% above NH
	Ossipee and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5 NH: 18.2%	19.5%±3.4 NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	26.3%±5.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lyme 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%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Lyme 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±$22kLowest 9% below NH	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$23kLowest 19% below NH	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,601±$245Highest 7% above NH	$1,418±$130Lowest 5% below NH
	Ossipee and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Lowest 34% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±16.3Highest NH: 48.2%	52.8%±29.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Ossipee and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest NH: 72.8%	80.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest same as NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above NH	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	5.3%±3.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#100 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Lyme 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.