What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pittsfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.8%).

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	Pittsfield
People
Population	2,183Lowest	4,105Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-0.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.3±11.2Highest about the NH average	41.5±5.1Lowest 4% below NH
	Ashland and Pittsfield 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%	20.8%±6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Ashland and Pittsfield 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%	18.7%±4.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Ashland and Pittsfield 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%	22.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	4.5%±3.1Highest NH: 6%
	Pittsfield 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	$74,318±$14kHighest 25% below NH
	Pittsfield and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH	$294,800±$30kHighest 27% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH	$1,239±$182Highest 17% below NH
	Pittsfield 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	$5,694Highest 15% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	67.5%±27.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Pittsfield 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%	11.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	68.8%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	11.6%±5Highest NH: 16.8%
	Pittsfield 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	—	#93 of 120 in NH
School district	Ashland School District	Pittsfield School District
High school in town	None in town	Pittsfield High School
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.