What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wakefield has the most affordable homes ($323k median).

Tuftonboro has the most expensive homes ($462k 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	Wakefield	Tuftonboro
People
Population	5,405Highest	2,569Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+3.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.4±4.1Lowest 14% above NH	51.9±7.5Highest 20% above NH
	Tuftonboro and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±3.9Highest NH: 18.2%	18.2%±4.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Wakefield and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	27.8%±6.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Tuftonboro and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	37.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.1Highest NH: 6%	0.8%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Wakefield and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,976±$11kHighest about the NH average	$100,574±$16kLowest about the NH average
	Wakefield and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,800±$43kLowest 20% below NH	$462,300±$46kHighest 15% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,375±$434Highest 8% below NH	$1,311±$358Lowest 12% below NH
	Wakefield and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,954Lowest 56% below NH	$3,004Highest 55% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±82.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	6.5%±28.5Highest NH: 48.2%
	Tuftonboro and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.8%Highest NH: 72.8%	92.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 34% above NH	30 minLowest 12% above NH
Work from home	15.1%±9.3Highest NH: 16.8%	14.3%±8.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Wakefield and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#118 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Wakefield School District	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	None 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.