What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boscawen has the most people working from home (9.9%).

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($131k 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	Boscawen	Berlin
People
Population	4,044Lowest	9,383Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	-6.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46±4.2Highest 6% above NH	44.6±2.8Lowest 3% above NH
	Boscawen and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%	17.2%±2.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Boscawen and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%	20.1%±2.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Boscawen and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Highest NH: 40.6%	14.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.9Lowest NH: 6%	2.7%±1.1Highest NH: 6%
	Berlin and Boscawen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,328±$27kHighest 22% below NH	$45,180±$5kLowest 54% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$286,500±$23kHighest 29% below NH	$131,000±$15kLowest 67% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,265±$307Highest 15% below NH	$815±$141Lowest 45% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,549Highest about the NH average	$3,437Lowest 48% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±21Lowest NH: 48.2%	43.7%±12Highest NH: 48.2%
	Berlin and Boscawen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17%Highest NH: 7.2%	15.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	62.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1938Lowest 41 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above NH	19 minLowest 30% below NH
Work from home	9.9%±6.1Highest NH: 16.8%	3.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Boscawen and Berlin 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	#51 of 120 in NH	#108 of 120 in NH
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Berlin School District
High school in town	None in town	Berlin Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.2
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.