What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.3%).

Keene has the most affordable homes ($253k 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	Waterbury	Keene
People
Population	5,405Lowest	22,939Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S.	37.6±2.3Lowest 3% below U.S.
	Waterbury and Keene 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%	14.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Waterbury and Keene 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%	44.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.8%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,917±$23kHighest 29% above U.S.	$78,445±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
	Waterbury and Keene 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.	$252,500±$12kLowest 24% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,027±$535Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,342±$68Highest 5% below U.S.
	Keene and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,435Lowest 106% above U.S.	$6,812Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.8%±21.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.5%±6.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waterbury and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	55.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	28.3%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.6%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 70 in VT	#81 of 120 in NH
School district	Harwood Unified Union School District #60	Keene School District
High school in town	None in town	Keene High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.3
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.