What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boscawen has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.8%).

Brighton has the most affordable homes ($164k 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	Brighton
People
Population	4,044Highest	1,167Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46±4.2Highest 18% above U.S.	45.2±11.6Lowest 16% above U.S.
	Boscawen and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.1%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.3%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brighton and Boscawen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brighton and Boscawen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	25.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brighton 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 4% below U.S.	$47,375±$21kLowest 41% below U.S.
	Boscawen and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$286,500±$23kHighest 14% below U.S.	$163,900±$39kLowest 51% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,265±$307Highest 10% below U.S.	$775±$33Lowest 45% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,549Highest 110% above U.S.	$3,360Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±21Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55%±17Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brighton and Boscawen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	22%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	51.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±6.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.4%±8.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brighton and Boscawen 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	—
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Brighton School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.