What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.3%).

Bethlehem has the most people working from home (31.2%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Alton	Bethlehem
People
Population	5,994Highest	2,537Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	-1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.7±3.2Highest 24% above NH	50.6±8.5Lowest 17% above NH
	Alton and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.4%±4Lowest NH: 18.2%	17.7%±5.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bethlehem and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±4.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.2%±5.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bethlehem and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	45.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	0.9%±0.9Highest NH: 6%
	Bethlehem and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,715±$19kHighest 15% above NH	$85,029±$18kLowest 14% below NH
	Alton and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$430,400±$37kHighest 7% above NH	$288,300±$22kLowest 28% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,174±$81 21% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,183Lowest 37% below NH	$5,418Highest 19% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.7%±27.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	41.3%±18.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bethlehem and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 5 yrs older than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above NH	20 minLowest 24% below NH
Work from home	13.1%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	31.2%±12.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bethlehem and Alton 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	#72 of 120 in NH	#34 of 120 in NH
School district	Prospect Mountain JMA School District · Alton School District	Bethlehem School District · Profile School District
High school in town	Prospect Mountain High School	Profile Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	8.9Lowest
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.