What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Royalton has the most affordable homes ($263k 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	Royalton
People
Population	11,861Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.5Highest 18% above U.S.	43.9±10.1Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Amherst and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Amherst and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Royalton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	42.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Royalton 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±$10kHighest 90% above U.S.	$103,938±$24kLowest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kHighest 62% above U.S.	$263,200±$73kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256Highest 3% above U.S.	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.
	Amherst and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Highest 213% above U.S.	$4,675Lowest 50% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	36.7%±16.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Royalton 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 U.S.: 12.5%	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	63.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	32.4%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±7.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 120 in NH	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.