What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amherst has the most people working from home (32.4%).

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($258k 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	Bristol
People
Population	11,861Highest	3,273Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+6.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.9±3.5Highest 6% above NH	42.7±5.7Lowest about the NH average
	Amherst and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	24.3%±6.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bristol and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%	23.2%±4.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bristol and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Highest NH: 6%	3.6%±2Lowest NH: 6%
	Amherst and Bristol 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	$78,438±$10kLowest 21% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kHighest 34% above NH	$258,300±$63kLowest 36% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256Highest about the NH average	$1,310±$97Lowest 12% below NH
	Amherst and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Highest 47% above NH	$4,162Lowest 38% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±14.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bristol and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 22% above NH	28 minLowest 4% above NH
Work from home	32.4%±5.5Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 120 in NH	#79 of 120 in NH
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	Newfound Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	11.5Highest
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.