What stands out worked out from the figures below

Acworth has the most kids (25.9% under 18).

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

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	Acworth	Effingham
People
Population	851Lowest	1,912Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.3±14.5Highest 9% above NH	46.9±12.4Lowest 8% above NH
	Acworth and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.9%±16.5Highest NH: 18.2%	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Acworth and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24%±9.8Highest NH: 20.1%	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Acworth and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4.2Highest NH: 6%	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Acworth and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,917±$5kHighest 16% below NH	$76,607±$14kLowest 23% below NH
	Acworth and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,000±$34kLowest 32% below NH	$322,700±$30kHighest 20% below NH
	Effingham and Acworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,352±$291Highest 9% below NH	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH
	Acworth and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,695Lowest 30% below NH	$5,163Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	13.6%±40.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Effingham and Acworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 16 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 30% above NH	32 minLowest 18% above NH
Work from home	7.1%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	None 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.