What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ware has the most homeowners (72.3%).

Peterborough has the highest household income ($98k).

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	Ware	Peterborough
People
Population	10,048Highest	6,408Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±4.7Lowest 11% above U.S.	52.1±1.9Highest 34% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	16.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Ware and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ware and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,475±$15kLowest 16% below U.S.	$98,401±$8kHighest 22% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$289,700±$28kLowest 13% below U.S.	$404,500±$31kHighest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,043±$109Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,395±$209Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,237Lowest 36% above U.S.	$8,655Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.3%±16.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	29.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	11.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	56.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 20 yrs older than U.S.	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 8% above U.S.	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.
Work from home	12.3%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.8%±4.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Peterborough and Ware 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	#267 of 282 in MA	#59 of 120 in NH
School district	Ware	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	Ware Junior/Senior High School	Conval Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	12.0Highest
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.