What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Ashby has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.9%).

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	Alstead	Ashby
People
Population	1,551Lowest	3,211Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 44% above U.S.	50.5±3Lowest 30% above U.S.
	Alstead and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	17%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ashby and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.5%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Alstead and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Alstead and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,526±$11kLowest 20% below U.S.	$115,598±$9kHighest 43% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 18% below U.S.	$390,500±$30kHighest 17% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,200±$484 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Lowest 71% above U.S.	$6,034Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±53.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Alstead and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ashby and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#200 of 282 in MA
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	North Middlesex
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.