What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amherst has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.9%).

Alstead has the most affordable homes ($272k 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	Amherst	Alstead
People
Population	11,861Highest	1,551Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	-3.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.9±3.5Lowest 6% above NH	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH
Kids under 18	22.4%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	20.2%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%	27.8%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	28.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Highest NH: 6%	3.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%
	Amherst and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,196±$10kHighest 55% above NH	$64,526±$11kLowest 35% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kHighest 34% above NH	$271,600±$37kLowest 33% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256 about the NH average	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Highest 47% above NH	$5,322Lowest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest NH: 48.2%	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 22% above NH	32 minLowest 19% above NH
Work from home	32.4%±5.5Highest NH: 16.8%	12.1%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	Fall Mountain Regional School District
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4	—
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.