What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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	Rye	Walpole
People
Population	5,611Highest	3,690Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Highest NH: +4.6%	-2.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	55.1±3Highest 27% above NH	46.5±10.4Lowest 7% above NH
	Rye and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.2%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Walpole and Rye are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.7%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%	25.5%±5.4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Rye and Walpole 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%	32.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	4%±2.8Highest NH: 6%
	Walpole and Rye 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	$82,617±$16kLowest 17% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,028,100±$89kHighest 155% above NH	$319,800±$48kLowest 21% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,781±$156Highest 19% above NH	$1,165±$150Lowest 22% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,519Highest 13% above NH	$6,078Lowest 9% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.3%±16.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	51.6%±21.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Walpole and Rye 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%	11.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 7 yrs older than NH	1967Lowest 12 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 8% above NH	23 minLowest 13% below NH
Work from home	30.9%±7.6Highest NH: 16.8%	7.2%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#2 of 120 in NH	#27 of 120 in NH
School district	Rye School District	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

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.