What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Strafford has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Strafford
People
Population	4,521Highest	1,372Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50±4.6Lowest 29% above U.S.	51.4±4.7Highest 32% above U.S.
	Strafford and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Strafford 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%	22.1%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ossipee and Strafford 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%	53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Strafford 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.	$110,833±$19kHighest 37% above U.S.
	Strafford and Ossipee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$23kLowest about the U.S. average	$431,300±$40kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,601±$245Highest 13% above U.S.	$1,125±$789Lowest 20% below U.S.
	Ossipee and Strafford 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.	$7,149Highest 129% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±16.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±48Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ossipee and Strafford 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%	88.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 27% above U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#100 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Strafford 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.