What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stow has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.9%).

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	Ossipee	Stow
People
Population	4,521Lowest	7,165Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50±4.6Highest 29% above U.S.	44.1±4.4Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Ossipee and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stow and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ossipee and Stow 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%	75.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stow 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 12% above U.S.	$185,809±$22kHighest 130% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$23kLowest about the U.S. average	$729,600±$39kHighest 119% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,601±$245Lowest 13% above U.S.	$1,782±$126Highest 26% above U.S.
	Stow and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Lowest 41% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±16.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	59.7%±44.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ossipee and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 27% above U.S.	36 minHighest 35% above U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	36.6%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#100 of 120 in NH	#44 of 282 in MA
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Nashoba
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.