What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bristol has the most people working from home (25%).

Hooksett has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.6%).

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	Bristol	Hooksett
People
Population	2,917Lowest	15,057Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	61±3.2Highest 57% above U.S.	41.3±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.4%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hooksett and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	42.8%±8.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.3%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	39.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.9%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,750±$19kLowest 25% above U.S.	$117,962±$11kHighest 46% above U.S.
	Hooksett and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$406,400±$54kLowest 22% above U.S.	$407,000±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.
	Hooksett and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,051±$106Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,661±$206Highest 18% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,668Lowest 14% below U.S.	$6,554Highest 110% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.4%±19.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.7%±16.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hooksett and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 33% below U.S.	27 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	25%±8.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#16 of 133 in ME	#30 of 120 in NH
School district	Bristol Public Schools	Hooksett 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.