What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brentwood has the most expensive homes ($528k median).

Canaan has the most affordable homes ($254k 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	Brentwood	Canaan
People
Population	4,641Highest	3,811Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.1%Highest NH: +4.6%	-2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.8±3.1Lowest about the NH average	44.4±3.7Highest about the NH average
	Canaan and Brentwood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±4.1Highest NH: 18.2%	14.7%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Brentwood and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±3.7Highest NH: 20.1%	19.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Brentwood and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49%Highest NH: 40.6%	28.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.4Lowest NH: 6%	7%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Canaan and Brentwood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$165,509±$23kHighest 67% above NH	$81,583±$6kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$528,100±$75kHighest 31% above NH	$254,000±$26kLowest 37% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,217±$654Highest 49% above NH	$1,140±$90Lowest 24% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,713Highest 46% above NH	$5,985Lowest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.9%±37.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	74.4%±25.1Highest NH: 48.2%
	Canaan and Brentwood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	13.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96%Highest NH: 72.8%	77.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1995Highest 16 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% above NH	30 minHighest 12% above NH
Work from home	23.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%	14.9%±6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Brentwood and Canaan 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	#16 of 120 in NH	#83 of 120 in NH
School district	Brentwood School District	Mascoma Valley Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.3
On TownTapestry
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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.