What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.8%).

Gilsum has the highest household income ($80k).

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	Gilsum
People
Population	1,551Highest	716Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	-7.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH	44.8±8.1Lowest 3% above NH
	Alstead and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Highest NH: 18.2%	12%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Alstead and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	19.3%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	18.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±2.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Alstead and Gilsum 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	$80,417±$7kHighest 19% below NH
	Gilsum and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kHighest 33% below NH	$241,500±$32kLowest 40% below NH
	Alstead and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,575±$894 6% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Lowest 20% below NH	$5,579Highest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	76.5%±55.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Gilsum and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	13.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 6 yrs older than NH	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%	11.9%±8.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Alstead and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Monadnock 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.