What stands out worked out from the figures below

South Hooksett has the highest household income ($130k).

Wells has the most people working from home (17.8%).

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	South Hooksett	Wells
People
Population	5,902Lowest	11,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.2±3.6Lowest 10% below U.S.	53.6±3.8Highest 38% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wells and South Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.3%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,000±$15kHighest 61% above U.S.	$88,024±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$40kLowest 30% above U.S.	$485,300±$23kHighest 46% above U.S.
	Wells and South Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,471±$217Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,350±$297Lowest 4% below U.S.
	South Hooksett and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,801Highest 118% above U.S.	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.1%±25Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±19.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells and South Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	—	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	—	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.4
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.