What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookline has the most people working from home (24.7%).

Barnstead has the most affordable homes ($362k 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	Brookline	Barnstead
People
Population	5,736Highest	4,994Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13%Highest NH: +4.6%	+7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.2±1.5Lowest 5% below NH	42.8±3.1Highest about the NH average
	Barnstead and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.7%±4Highest NH: 18.2%	21%±5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Brookline and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.6%±4.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.3%±3.2Highest NH: 6%	5.9%±2.9Lowest NH: 6%
	Brookline and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$171,046±$4kHighest 73% above NH	$111,660±$12kLowest 13% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$544,400±$38kHighest 35% above NH	$362,400±$25kLowest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,500±$1kHighest 68% above NH	$1,395±$75Lowest 6% below NH
	Brookline and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$6,003Lowest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.8%±43.5Lowest NH: 48.2%	47.6%±50.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Barnstead and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	0.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%	3.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	93.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1993Highest 14 yrs newer than NH	1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above NH	31 minLowest 16% above NH
Work from home	24.7%±5.8Highest NH: 16.8%	13%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#23 of 120 in NH	#111 of 120 in NH
School district	Brookline School District	Barnstead School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.