What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brighton has the most affordable homes ($164k median).

Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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	Brighton	Thornton
People
Population	1,167Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.2±11.6Lowest 16% above U.S.	51.1±3.4Highest 31% above U.S.
	Thornton and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%	13.9%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brighton and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brighton and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thornton and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,375±$21kLowest 41% below U.S.	$90,022±$17kHighest 12% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$163,900±$39kLowest 51% below U.S.	$351,900±$20kHighest 6% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$33Lowest 45% below U.S.	$1,270±$428Highest 10% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,360Lowest 8% above U.S.	$5,032Highest 61% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55%±17Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.7%±24.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thornton and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	22%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	12.4%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.8%±9.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thornton and Brighton 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	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Brighton School District	Thornton School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.