What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells has the most affordable homes ($243k median).

North Hampton has the most expensive homes ($670k 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	Wells	North Hampton
People
Population	1,148Lowest	4,543Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.7±5.2Highest 30% above U.S.	50.5±3.3Lowest 30% above U.S.
	Wells and North Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	North Hampton and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	North Hampton and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	54.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Wells and North Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,417±$11kLowest 7% below U.S.	$146,458±$29kHighest 81% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$243,000±$42kLowest 27% below U.S.	$670,400±$61kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,313±$282Lowest 7% below U.S.	$1,805±$106Highest 28% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,308Lowest 6% above U.S.	$8,529Highest 173% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.5%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.5%±21Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells and North Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	91.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	48 minHighest 80% above U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	11.3%±6.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	25.9%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#12 of 120 in NH
School district	Wells Spring Unified Union School District #69	North Hampton School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.