What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashland has the most kids (21.4% under 18).

Canaan has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.9%).

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	Canaan
People
Population	2,183Lowest	3,811Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.3±11.2Lowest about the NH average	44.4±3.7Highest about the NH average
	Canaan 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%	14.7%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Ashland and Canaan 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%	19.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Ashland and Canaan 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%	28.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	7%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH	$81,583±$6kHighest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH	$254,000±$26kHighest 37% below NH
	Canaan and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH	$1,140±$90Highest 24% below NH
	Canaan and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH	$5,985Highest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	74.4%±25.1Highest NH: 48.2%
	Canaan 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%	13.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	77.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	30 minHighest 12% above NH
Work from home	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.9%±6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Canaan 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	—	#83 of 120 in NH
School district	Ashland School District	Mascoma Valley Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.3
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.