Compare towns
Barnet vs Meredith vs Sharon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Barnet has the most affordable homes ($248k median).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
Sharon has the youngest population (median age 45.6).
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.
| Measure | Barnet | Meredith | Sharon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,855 |
6,758Highest |
1,577Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.9% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 47.7±5.3 23% above U.S. |
55.5±3.7Highest 43% above U.S. |
45.6±7.7Lowest 17% above U.S. |
| Meredith and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.6%±4.9Highest U.S.: 22% |
12.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22% |
21%±5 U.S.: 22% |
| Barnet and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 28.8%±3.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
25.1%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Meredith and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
45.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
37.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.9%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
1.5%±0.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Meredith and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $67,386±$15kLowest 17% below U.S. |
$87,019±$19kHighest 8% above U.S. |
$84,375±$17k 5% above U.S. |
| Meredith and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $247,900±$24kLowest 25% below U.S. |
$480,100±$48kHighest 44% above U.S. |
$346,700±$37k 4% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $974±$72Lowest 31% below U.S. |
$1,149±$304 19% below U.S. |
$1,386±$155Highest about the U.S. average |
| Sharon and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,489Lowest 44% above U.S. |
$5,006 61% above U.S. |
$5,903Highest 89% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 59.3%±29.9Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
48.5%±9.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
19.8%±17.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Barnet and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
79.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S. |
1975 5 yrs older than U.S. |
1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 5% above U.S. |
26 minLowest about the U.S. average |
26 minLowest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 13.3%±4.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
12.7%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #62 of 120 in NH | — |
| School district | Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78 | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District | Sharon School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Inter-Lakes High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.1 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.