What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Deerfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13.4%).

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	Alstead	Deerfield
People
Population	1,551Lowest	4,932Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+13.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH	42.8±4.2Lowest about the NH average
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.9%±4.1Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	17.5%±3.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	47.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	3.6%±1.8Highest NH: 6%
	Deerfield and Alstead 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 35% below NH	$131,563±$10kHighest 33% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 33% below NH	$421,000±$33kHighest 5% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,593±$318 7% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Lowest 20% below NH	$7,369Highest 11% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%	17.4%±17.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	6.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%	91.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 19% above NH	34 minHighest 28% above NH
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.4%±6.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Deerfield 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	—	#61 of 120 in NH
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Deerfield 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.