What stands out worked out from the figures below

Walpole has the most people working from home (28.2%).

Goffstown has the most affordable homes ($377k 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	Walpole	Goffstown
People
Population	26,388Highest	18,513Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±1.2Lowest 5% above U.S.	41.3±3.1Highest 6% above U.S.
	Goffstown and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	16.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Goffstown and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.5%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$171,500±$16kHighest 112% above U.S.	$113,958±$12kLowest 41% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$687,100±$20kHighest 107% above U.S.	$377,400±$20kLowest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,205±$222Highest 56% above U.S.	$1,231±$161Lowest 13% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,523Highest 173% above U.S.	$6,941Lowest 123% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.1%±20Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Goffstown and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	28.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#107 of 282 in MA	#35 of 120 in NH
School district	Norfolk County Agricultural · Walpole	Goffstown School District
High school in town	Walpole High	Goffstown High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	12.6Highest
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.