What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

Hampton has the most expensive homes ($550k 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	Arlington	Hampton
People
Population	2,598Lowest	16,426Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Arlington and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kHighest 27% above U.S.	$95,233±$9kLowest 18% above U.S.
	Arlington and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kLowest 4% below U.S.	$550,200±$39kHighest 65% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Lowest 16% below U.S.	$1,628±$94Highest 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Lowest 46% above U.S.	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±10.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	21.7%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#31 of 120 in NH
School district	Arlington School District	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Winnacunnet High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Highest	10.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.