What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstead has the most affordable homes ($362k median).

Canton has the most people working from home (25.7%).

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	Canton
People
Population	4,994Lowest	24,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3.1Highest 10% above U.S.	42.6±2.3Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Barnstead and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±5Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.9%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Canton and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barnstead and Canton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	67.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barnstead and Canton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,660±$12kLowest 38% above U.S.	$143,381±$9kHighest 78% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,400±$25kLowest 9% above U.S.	$710,600±$27kHighest 114% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$75Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,315±$178Highest 64% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,003Lowest 92% above U.S.	$6,560Highest 110% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±50.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.4%±9.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Canton and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1980Lowest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 18% above U.S.	36 minHighest 36% above U.S.
Work from home	13%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	25.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#111 of 120 in NH	#81 of 282 in MA
School district	Barnstead School District	Blue Hills Regional Vocational Technical · Canton
High school in town	None in town	Canton High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.1
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.