Compare towns
Alstead vs Meredith vs Williston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Alstead has the most affordable homes ($272k median).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).
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.
| Measure | Alstead | Meredith | Williston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,551Lowest |
6,758 |
10,144Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 56±3.3Highest 44% above U.S. |
55.5±3.7 43% above U.S. |
45.4±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S. |
| Alstead and Meredith 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% |
12.6%±3.3 U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Williston and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.8%±4.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
21%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Meredith and Alstead 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% |
45.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±2.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Williston 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 20% below U.S. |
$87,019±$19k 8% above U.S. |
$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S. |
| Williston and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $271,600±$37kLowest 18% below U.S. |
$480,100±$48kHighest 44% above U.S. |
$475,800±$40k 43% above U.S. |
| Meredith and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,149±$304Lowest 19% below U.S. |
$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,322 71% above U.S. |
$5,006Lowest 61% above U.S. |
$5,592Highest 79% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 72.1%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
48.5%±9.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
46.9%±17.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Alstead and Meredith 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% |
7.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 76%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
75.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 32 minHighest 20% above U.S. |
26 min about the U.S. average |
20 minLowest 25% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 12.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.3%±7.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Meredith and Williston 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 | — | #62 of 120 in NH | #11 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Fall Mountain Regional School District | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 |
| High school in town | None in town | Inter-Lakes High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.1 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.