What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most people working from home (12.1%).

Lempster has the highest household income ($87k).

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	Lempster
People
Population	1,551Highest	953Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-3.1%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH	50.8±7.2Lowest 17% above NH
	Alstead and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	12.8%±4.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lempster 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 NH: 20.1%	25.4%±3.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Alstead and Lempster 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 NH: 40.6%	28.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Lempster 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	$86,607±$12kHighest 13% below NH
	Lempster 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	$241,900±$29kLowest 40% below NH
	Alstead and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Highest 20% below NH	$4,558Lowest 32% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lempster and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%	98.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 19% above NH	37 minHighest 40% above NH
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%	5%±2.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Alstead and Lempster 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	Lempster 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.