What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the most people working from home (14.9%).

Jaffrey has the most kids (23.1% under 18).

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	Canaan	Jaffrey
People
Population	3,811Lowest	5,448Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-2.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.4±3.7Highest about the NH average	42.9±3.9Lowest about the NH average
	Canaan and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	23.1%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Jaffrey and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	18.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Canaan and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	31.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±2.5Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±2.4Lowest NH: 6%
	Canaan and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,583±$6kLowest 18% below NH	$92,330±$18kHighest 7% below NH
	Jaffrey and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$26kHighest 37% below NH	$245,500±$27kLowest 39% below NH
	Canaan and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,140±$90Highest 24% below NH	$962±$202Lowest 35% below NH
	Canaan and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,985Lowest 10% below NH	$6,196Highest 7% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	74.4%±25.1Highest NH: 48.2%	45.7%±23Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Canaan and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	81.8%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 4 yrs older than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above NH	25 minLowest 8% below NH
Work from home	14.9%±6Highest NH: 16.8%	7.5%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Canaan and Jaffrey 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	#83 of 120 in NH	#87 of 120 in NH
School district	Mascoma Valley Regional School District	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
High school in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School	Conant Middle High School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	21.3Highest
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.