What stands out worked out from the figures below

Owls Head has the most affordable homes ($413k median).

Rye has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.6%).

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	Owls Head	Rye
People
Population	1,482Lowest	5,611Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.6±6.6Lowest 35% above U.S.	55.1±3Highest 42% above U.S.
	Rye and Owls Head are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.6%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Rye and Owls Head are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Owls Head and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	61.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Owls Head and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,325±$7kLowest 8% above U.S.	$140,655±$39kHighest 74% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$413,300±$43kLowest 24% above U.S.	$1,028,100±$89kHighest 209% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$386Lowest 16% below U.S.	$1,781±$156Highest 26% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,981Lowest 4% below U.S.	$7,519Highest 141% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.9%±51.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	44.3%±16.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Rye and Owls Head are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 38% below U.S.	29 minHighest 9% above U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.9%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#2 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 13	Rye 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.