What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($227k median).

Barnstead has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7%).

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	Ashland	Barnstead
People
Population	2,183Lowest	4,994Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.3±11.2Lowest about the NH average	42.8±3.1Highest about the NH average
	Barnstead and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±6.4Highest NH: 18.2%	21%±5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Ashland and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.8%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%	20.6%±4.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Ashland and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	5.9%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Barnstead and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH	$111,660±$12kHighest 13% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH	$362,400±$25kHighest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH	$1,395±$75Highest 6% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH	$6,003Highest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	47.6%±50.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Barnstead and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	31 minHighest 16% above NH
Work from home	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	13%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%
	Barnstead and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#111 of 120 in NH
School district	Ashland School District	Barnstead School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.