What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the most affordable homes ($254k median).

Milton has the most people working from home (18.9%).

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	Milton
People
Population	3,811Lowest	4,538Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-2.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.4±3.7Lowest about the NH average	45.7±2.4Highest 6% above NH
	Milton and Canaan 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%	18.4%±5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Milton 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%	16.1%±3.4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Canaan and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	21.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±2.5Highest NH: 6%	2.3%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,583±$6kLowest 18% below NH	$94,493±$27kHighest 5% below NH
	Milton 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±$26kLowest 37% below NH	$318,400±$34kHighest 21% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,140±$90Lowest 24% below NH	$1,587±$318Highest 6% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,985Highest 10% below NH	$5,663Lowest 15% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	74.4%±25.1Highest NH: 48.2%	63.7%±24.9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Canaan and Milton 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%	8.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	86.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above NH	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	14.9%±6Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.9%±6.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Milton 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	#83 of 120 in NH	#116 of 120 in NH
School district	Mascoma Valley Regional School District	Milton School District
High school in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School	Nute High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	10.6Highest
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.