What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville Valley has the most expensive homes ($563k median).

Albany has the most affordable homes ($248k 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	Waterville Valley	Albany
People
Population	290Lowest	790Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.3% NH: +4.6%
Median age	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH	46.5±9.7Lowest 7% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	8.6%±11.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	11.3%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Albany and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%	13.8%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	37.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±4Highest NH: 6%
	Albany and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,625±$50kHighest 7% above NH	$67,639±$19kLowest 32% below NH
	Waterville Valley and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$562,500±$193kHighest 40% above NH	$248,300±$68kLowest 38% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$382Lowest 23% below NH	$1,194±$112Highest 20% below NH
	Albany and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,745Highest 14% below NH	$2,554Lowest 62% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	44.2%±97.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Albany and Waterville Valley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	14.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 48% below NH	22 minHighest 17% below NH
Work from home	19.7%±12.6Highest NH: 16.8%	16.2%±18.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Waterville Valley and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Waterville Valley School District	—
High school 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.