What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.6%).

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	Westford
People
Population	1,551Lowest	2,290Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 44% above U.S.	44.1±8.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Alstead and Westford 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%	16.9%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Westford 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 U.S.: 17.2%	17.2%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	9.5%±4.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Westford 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.	$112,750±$12kHighest 40% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 18% below U.S.	$424,500±$21kHighest 28% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$2,375±$1k 68% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Lowest 71% above U.S.	$6,282Highest 101% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	29.8%±31Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Alstead and Westford 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%	2.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.1%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Westford 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	Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.