What stands out worked out from the figures below

Walpole has the most people working from home (7.2%).

Winchester has the most affordable homes ($243k 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	Winchester
People
Population	3,690Lowest	4,212Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-4.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.5±10.4Highest 7% above NH	42.6±4.5Lowest about the NH average
	Walpole and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.2%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%	18.9%±4.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Walpole and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±5.4Highest NH: 20.1%	17.9%±3.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Walpole and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.8Highest NH: 6%	2.4%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Walpole and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,617±$16kHighest 17% below NH	$67,723±$11kLowest 32% below NH
	Walpole and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$319,800±$48kHighest 21% below NH	$242,900±$20kLowest 40% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,165±$150Lowest 22% below NH	$1,209±$143Highest 19% below NH
	Winchester and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,078Highest 9% below NH	$5,314Lowest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±21.9Highest NH: 48.2%	45%±17.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Walpole and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	14.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%	72.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 12 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below NH	29 minHighest 7% above NH
Work from home	7.2%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8%	4.3%±2.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Walpole and Winchester 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	#27 of 120 in NH	#120 of 120 in NH
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Winchester 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.