What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.7%).

Waterville has the most affordable homes ($236k 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	Stratham	Waterville
People
Population	7,754Highest	680Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±4.9Lowest 7% above U.S.	49.1±8.2Highest 26% above U.S.
	Waterville and Stratham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.5%±5.3Highest U.S.: 22%	20.4%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Stratham and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stratham and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	69.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Waterville and Stratham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$151,998±$20kHighest 88% above U.S.	$71,250±$27kLowest 12% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$655,400±$36kHighest 97% above U.S.	$236,300±$15kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,511±$377Highest 78% above U.S.	$1,110±$93Lowest 21% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,781Highest 214% above U.S.	$3,957Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±38.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±27.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stratham and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	38 minHighest 42% above U.S.
Work from home	25.3%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#43 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Stratham School District	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.