What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Strafford has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.4%).

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	Strafford
People
Population	1,551Highest	1,372Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 44% above U.S.	51.4±4.7Lowest 32% above U.S.
	Alstead and Strafford 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%	23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Alstead and Strafford 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%	53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Strafford 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.	$110,833±$19kHighest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 18% below U.S.	$431,300±$40kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,125±$789 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Lowest 71% above U.S.	$7,149Highest 129% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±48Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Alstead and Strafford 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%	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Strafford 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	Strafford School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.