What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Springfield has the highest household income ($101k).

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	Springfield
People
Population	1,551Highest	1,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	-4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH	51.4±8.8Lowest 19% above NH
	Alstead and Springfield 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%	15.1%±8Highest NH: 18.2%
	Springfield 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%	19.8%±1.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	36.4%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	0%±1.5Lowest NH: 6%
	Alstead and Springfield 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	$100,893±$19kHighest about the NH average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 33% below NH	$384,100±$50kHighest 5% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,096±$217 26% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Lowest 20% below NH	$5,946Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%	25.9%±64.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Alstead and Springfield 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%	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.7%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 29% above NH
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.7%±11.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Springfield and Alstead 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	—
High school 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.