What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strafford has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.4%).

Westmoreland has the most affordable homes ($352k 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	Strafford	Westmoreland
People
Population	1,372Lowest	2,237Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.4±4.7Lowest 32% above U.S.	55.3±2.2Highest 42% above U.S.
	Westmoreland and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	14.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Strafford and Westmoreland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	47.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Strafford and Westmoreland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,833±$19kHighest 37% above U.S.	$104,444±$28kLowest 29% above U.S.
	Strafford and Westmoreland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$431,300±$40kHighest 30% above U.S.	$351,800±$12kLowest 6% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$789Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,354±$280Highest 4% below U.S.
	Westmoreland and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,149Highest 129% above U.S.	$6,643Lowest 113% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±48Highest U.S.: 51.1%	32.5%±23.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Strafford and Westmoreland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 13% below U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	16.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.9%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Strafford and Westmoreland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Strafford School District	Westmoreland School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.