What stands out worked out from the figures below

Allenstown has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.9%).

Charlestown has the most kids (22.4% under 18).

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	Allenstown	Charlestown
People
Population	4,743Lowest	4,889Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	-6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	39.4±4.7Lowest 9% below NH	41.6±8.5Highest 4% below NH
	Charlestown and Allenstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.4%±5.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Charlestown and Allenstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±3.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	22.4%±5.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Charlestown and Allenstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	12.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.7%±0.7Lowest NH: 6%	3.9%±3.2Highest NH: 6%
	Charlestown and Allenstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,500±$21kHighest 27% below NH	$47,338±$23kLowest 52% below NH
	Allenstown and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$243,600±$69kHighest 39% below NH	$228,000±$62kLowest 43% below NH
	Allenstown and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,281±$397Highest 14% below NH	$1,099±$85Lowest 26% below NH
	Allenstown and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,098Lowest 39% below NH	$5,143Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.8%±29.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	65%±24.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Charlestown and Allenstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	14.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	78.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 min 10% below NH	24 min 10% below NH
Work from home	7.6%±3.7 NH: 16.8%	7.6%±4.5 NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#113 of 120 in NH
School district	Allenstown School District	Fall Mountain 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.