What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wolfeboro has the most affordable homes ($547k median).

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Wolfeboro	Needham
People
Population	6,571Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	57±1.8Highest 47% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.7%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	34.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Wolfeboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,375±$22kLowest 17% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$546,500±$60kLowest 64% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,103±$76Lowest 22% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,531Lowest 45% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	12%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	22.9%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Needham
High school in town	Kingswood Regional High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	11.9Highest
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.