What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitefield has the most affordable homes ($240k median).

Lebanon has the most people working from home (22.8%).

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	Whitefield	Lebanon
People
Population	2,516Lowest	14,999Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.4±4.6Highest 19% above NH	38.9±3.1Lowest 10% below NH
Kids under 18	14.3%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	14.6%±2.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lebanon and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.6%±5.4Highest NH: 20.1%	21.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Whitefield and Lebanon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	57.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±3.2Lowest NH: 6%	6.9%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Lebanon and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,125±$12kLowest 36% below NH	$98,147±$10kHighest about the NH average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$22kLowest 40% below NH	$385,400±$29kHighest 4% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,077±$160Lowest 28% below NH	$1,744±$132Highest 17% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,394Lowest 34% below NH	$8,149Highest 22% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.9%±15.6Highest NH: 48.2%	41.9%±7.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Whitefield and Lebanon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11%Highest NH: 7.2%	7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	51.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 14 yrs older than NH	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the NH average	14 minLowest 48% below NH
Work from home	7.2%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.8%±4.3Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#86 of 120 in NH	#29 of 120 in NH
School district	White Mountains Regional School District	Lebanon School District
High school in town	White Mountains Regional High School	Lebanon High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9Lowest	11.7Highest
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.