What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Mason has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Mason
People
Population	2,183Highest	1,451Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.3±11.2Lowest about the NH average	43.7±2.3Highest about the NH average
	Mason and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±6.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	28.8%±6.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Mason and Ashland 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%	15.6%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	39.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.7Highest NH: 6%	1.8%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Ashland and Mason 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	$111,090±$3kHighest 12% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH	$384,000±$21kHighest 5% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH	$2,530±$852Highest 70% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH	$7,049Highest 6% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	87.2%±42.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Mason 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%	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1988Highest 9 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	41 minHighest 53% above NH
Work from home	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	20.7%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Ashland School District	Mason 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.