What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Canterbury has the highest household income ($129k).

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	Canterbury
People
Population	2,183Lowest	2,353Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.3±11.2Lowest about the NH average	48.6±3.8Highest 12% above NH
	Canterbury 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%	17.4%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Ashland and Canterbury 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%	22.9%±3.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Ashland and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	49.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	6.8%±3Highest NH: 6%
	Canterbury 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	$129,333±$37kHighest 31% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH	$443,700±$21kHighest 10% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH	$2,136±$233Highest 43% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH	$7,421Highest 11% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	71.7%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Canterbury 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%	5.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	33 minHighest 22% above NH
Work from home	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	21.6%±7.4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Canterbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Ashland School District	Shaker Regional 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.