What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rutland has the most affordable homes ($186k median).

Wolfeboro has the most expensive homes ($547k 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	Rutland	Wolfeboro
People
Population	15,712Highest	6,571Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49±2.1Lowest 26% above U.S.	57±1.8Highest 47% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	13.7%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Rutland and Wolfeboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	34.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wolfeboro and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,675±$8kLowest 29% below U.S.	$94,375±$22kHighest 17% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,500±$16kLowest 44% below U.S.	$546,500±$60kHighest 64% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$995±$65Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,103±$76Highest 22% below U.S.
	Wolfeboro and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,657Highest 49% above U.S.	$4,531Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±8.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	12%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 39% below U.S.	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	8.1%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.9%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#51 of 70 in VT	#46 of 120 in NH
School district	Rutland City School District	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	Rutland Senior High School	Kingswood Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Highest	11.1Lowest
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.