What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pepperell has the most people working from home (18.1%).

Walpole has the most affordable homes ($320k median).

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	Pepperell	Walpole
People
Population	11,663Highest	3,690Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±3.3Lowest 9% above U.S.	46.5±10.4Highest 20% above U.S.
	Walpole and Pepperell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.2%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Walpole and Pepperell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±5.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Walpole and Pepperell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pepperell and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,073±$12kHighest 54% above U.S.	$82,617±$16kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$482,100±$14kHighest 45% above U.S.	$319,800±$48kLowest 4% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,295±$238Highest 8% below U.S.	$1,165±$150Lowest 18% below U.S.
	Pepperell and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,698Highest 115% above U.S.	$6,078Lowest 95% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.6%±21.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Walpole and Pepperell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	11.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	18.1%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.2%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#153 of 282 in MA	#27 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Fall Mountain Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.