What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most kids (15.1% under 18).

Waterville Valley has the shortest commute (14 min average).

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	Springfield	Waterville Valley
People
Population	1,122Highest	290Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	51.4±8.8Lowest 19% above NH	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±8Highest NH: 18.2%	8.6%±11.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Springfield and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±1.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±1.5Lowest NH: 6%	0.3%±4.3Highest NH: 6%
	Waterville Valley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,893±$19kLowest about the NH average	$105,625±$50kHighest 7% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$384,100±$50kLowest 5% below NH	$562,500±$193kHighest 40% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$217Lowest 26% below NH	$1,150±$382Highest 23% below NH
	Waterville Valley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,946Highest 11% below NH	$5,745Lowest 14% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.9%±64.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	33.3%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Waterville Valley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	6.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	81.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above NH	14 minLowest 48% below NH
Work from home	16.7%±11.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.7%±12.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Waterville Valley and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Waterville Valley School District
High school 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.