What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Farmington has the most affordable homes ($289k median).

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	Farmington
People
Population	5,994Lowest	6,795Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	-0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.7±3.2Highest 24% above NH	49.1±7.1Lowest 13% above NH
	Alton and Farmington 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%	16.1%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Farmington and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±4.5Highest NH: 20.1%	18.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Alton and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	16.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	2.3%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
	Farmington 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	$66,943±$4kLowest 32% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$430,400±$37kHighest 7% above NH	$289,200±$47kLowest 28% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,096±$110 26% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,183Lowest 37% below NH	$4,723Highest 29% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.7%±27.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±16Highest NH: 48.2%
	Farmington 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%	11.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	77.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above NH	29 minLowest 7% above NH
Work from home	13.1%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.5%±5.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Farmington 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	#106 of 120 in NH
School district	Prospect Mountain JMA School District · Alton School District	Farmington School District
High school in town	Prospect Mountain High School	Farmington Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	5.5Lowest
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.