What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Litchfield has the shortest commute (29 min average).

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	Litchfield
People
Population	11,861Highest	8,499Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	+2.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.9±3.5Highest 6% above NH	43.1±1.7Lowest about the NH average
	Amherst and Litchfield 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%	22.6%±3.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Litchfield and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±3Highest NH: 20.1%	14.9%±2.4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Amherst and Litchfield 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%	46.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Lowest NH: 6%	4.4%±1.6Highest NH: 6%
	Litchfield and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,196±$10kLowest 55% above NH	$162,036±$11kHighest 64% above NH
	Litchfield and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kHighest 34% above NH	$485,000±$18kLowest 20% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256Lowest about the NH average	$2,138±$406Highest 43% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Highest 47% above NH	$8,273Lowest 24% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest NH: 48.2%	81.5%±38.3Highest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	4.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	86.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 22% above NH	29 minLowest 9% above NH
Work from home	32.4%±5.5Highest NH: 16.8%	21%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 120 in NH	#53 of 120 in NH
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	Litchfield School District
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	Campbell High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	11.4Highest
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.