What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstead has the highest household income ($112k).

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($258k 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	Barnstead	Bristol
People
Population	4,994Highest	3,273Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+6.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.8±3.1Highest about the NH average	42.7±5.7Lowest about the NH average
	Barnstead and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±5Lowest NH: 18.2%	24.3%±6.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bristol and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±4.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	23.2%±4.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bristol and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	35.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	3.6%±2Lowest NH: 6%
	Barnstead and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,660±$12kHighest 13% above NH	$78,438±$10kLowest 21% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,400±$25kHighest 10% below NH	$258,300±$63kLowest 36% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$75Highest 6% below NH	$1,310±$97Lowest 12% below NH
	Barnstead and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,003Highest 10% below NH	$4,162Lowest 38% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±50.9Highest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±14.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Barnstead and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above NH	28 minLowest 4% above NH
Work from home	13%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Barnstead and Bristol 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	#111 of 120 in NH	#79 of 120 in NH
School district	Barnstead School District	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	None in town	Newfound Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.5
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.