What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterbury has the most people working from home (28.3%).

Barnstead has the most homeowners (93.6%).

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	Waterbury	Barnstead
People
Population	5,405Highest	4,994Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S.	42.8±3.1Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Waterbury and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 22%	21%±5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Waterbury and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barnstead and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barnstead and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,917±$23kLowest 29% above U.S.	$111,660±$12kHighest 38% above U.S.
	Barnstead and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$447,200±$40kHighest 34% above U.S.	$362,400±$25kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,027±$535Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,395±$75Highest about the U.S. average
	Barnstead and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,435Highest 106% above U.S.	$6,003Lowest 92% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.8%±21.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.6%±50.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Barnstead and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.
Work from home	28.3%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 70 in VT	#111 of 120 in NH
School district	Harwood Unified Union School District #60	Barnstead School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.