What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rye has the most people working from home (30.9%).

Bridgewater has the most affordable homes ($399k 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	Rye	Bridgewater
People
Population	5,611Highest	1,169Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7.1%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	55.1±3Lowest 27% above NH	58.3±6.3Highest 35% above NH
	Bridgewater and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4Highest NH: 18.2%	10.8%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Rye and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.7%±5.3Lowest NH: 20.1%	33.1%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bridgewater and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.5%Highest NH: 40.6%	32.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.3Highest NH: 6%	1.3%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Rye and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,655±$39kHighest 42% above NH	$82,361±$9kLowest 17% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,028,100±$89kHighest 155% above NH	$398,600±$65kLowest about the NH average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,781±$156Highest 19% above NH	$1,125±$201Lowest 25% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,519Highest 13% above NH	$2,823Lowest 58% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.3%±16.1Highest NH: 48.2%	32.1%±13.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Rye and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	79.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH	1979Highest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 8% above NH	30 minHighest 13% above NH
Work from home	30.9%±7.6Highest NH: 16.8%	8%±3.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#2 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Rye School District	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NH 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.