What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peterborough has the most people working from home (15.8%).

Peabody has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.3%).

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	Peterborough	Peabody
People
Population	6,408Lowest	54,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±1.9Highest 34% above U.S.	45.3±2.4Lowest 16% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.7%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Peabody and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	24.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Peterborough and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,401±$8kHighest 22% above U.S.	$96,657±$4kLowest 20% above U.S.
	Peterborough and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$31kLowest 22% above U.S.	$596,200±$12kHighest 79% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$209Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,950±$99Highest 38% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,655Highest 177% above U.S.	$5,065Lowest 62% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	65.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	15.8%±4.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Peterborough and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#59 of 120 in NH	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Peabody
High school in town	Conval Regional High School	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	10.3Lowest
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.