What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stowe has grown the fastest since 2010 (+21.1%).

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k 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	Stowe	Jaffrey
People
Population	5,285Lowest	5,448Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.3±7.6Highest 19% above U.S.	42.9±3.9Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Stowe and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.5%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Jaffrey and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stowe and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	31.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Jaffrey and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,618±$33kHighest 16% above U.S.	$92,330±$18kLowest 14% above U.S.
	Stowe and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S.	$245,500±$27kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,458±$242Highest 3% above U.S.	$962±$202Lowest 32% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,161Highest 130% above U.S.	$6,196Lowest 99% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.7%±23Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Jaffrey and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	24.4%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#87 of 120 in NH
School district	Stowe Town School District	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
High school in town	Stowe High School	Conant Middle High School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	21.3Highest
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.