What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wolcott has the most people working from home (13.9%).

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	Wolcott
People
Population	4,521Highest	1,507Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50±4.6Highest 29% above U.S.	42.4±5.9Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Ossipee and Wolcott 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%	22.8%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wolcott 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%	11.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	31.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wolcott 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.	$70,259±$10kLowest 13% below U.S.
	Ossipee and Wolcott 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	$221,300±$23kLowest 33% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,601±$245Highest 13% above U.S.	$1,059±$118Lowest 25% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Highest 41% above U.S.	$3,930Lowest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±16.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	75.7%±21.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wolcott 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%	9.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 27% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	5.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#100 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Wolcott 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.