What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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	Thornton
People
Population	1,551Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% above NH
	Alstead and Thornton 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%	13.9%±4.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Thornton 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%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Alstead and Thornton 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%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Thornton 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	$90,022±$17kHighest 9% below NH
	Thornton 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±$37kLowest 33% below NH	$351,900±$20kHighest 13% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,270±$428 15% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Highest 20% below NH	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Alstead and Thornton 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%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Thornton School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.