What stands out worked out from the figures below

Temple has the most expensive homes ($401k median).

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.6%).

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	Temple	Wells
People
Population	1,363Highest	1,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.5±7.3Lowest 27% above U.S.	50.7±5.2Highest 30% above U.S.
	Wells and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.3%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.1%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wells and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	29.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wells and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,107±$15kHighest 17% above U.S.	$75,417±$11kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Temple and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$401,000±$27kHighest 21% above U.S.	$243,000±$42kLowest 27% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,169±$523Lowest 17% below U.S.	$1,313±$282Highest 7% below U.S.
	Wells and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,983Highest 124% above U.S.	$3,308Lowest 6% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.2%±54.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	62.5%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells and Temple are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	15.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minLowest 39% above U.S.	48 minHighest 80% above U.S.
Work from home	16.9%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.3%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Temple and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Wells Spring Unified Union School District #69
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.