What stands out worked out from the figures below

Atkinson has the highest household income ($146k).

Appleton has the most affordable homes ($236k median).

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	Atkinson	Appleton
People
Population	7,267Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	57.1±2.8Highest 47% above U.S.	49.2±7.4Lowest 26% above U.S.
	Atkinson and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Appleton and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Atkinson and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Atkinson and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,380±$32kHighest 81% above U.S.	$53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$555,200±$65kHighest 67% above U.S.	$235,600±$33kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,140±$32Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,104±$82Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Atkinson and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,918Highest 122% above U.S.	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.5%±39.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest same as U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 7% above U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	21.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Timberlane Regional School District	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.