What stands out worked out from the figures below

Walpole has the most affordable homes ($320k median).

Lancaster has the most people working from home (33.6%).

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	Walpole	Lancaster
People
Population	3,690Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±10.4Highest 20% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Walpole and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Walpole and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±5.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Walpole and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Walpole and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,617±$16kLowest about the U.S. average	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$319,800±$48kLowest 4% below U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,165±$150Lowest 18% below U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,078Lowest 95% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±21.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	7.2%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#27 of 120 in NH	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Nashoba
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.