What stands out worked out from the figures below

Candia has the most affordable homes ($416k median).

Hampstead has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.6%).

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	Candia	Hampstead
People
Population	4,134Lowest	9,102Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.3±3.8Highest 12% above NH	45.3±6.1Lowest 5% above NH
	Candia and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	21.3%±3.7Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	23.1%±4.4Highest NH: 20.1%	21.8%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Candia and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	44.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	5.1%±1.6Lowest NH: 6%
	Candia and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,737±$37kHighest 21% above NH	$112,348±$18kLowest 13% above NH
	Candia and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,600±$46kLowest 3% above NH	$521,100±$45kHighest 29% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,213±$554Lowest 19% below NH	$1,299±$149Highest 13% below NH
	Hampstead and Candia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,100Lowest 9% below NH	$8,634Highest 30% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±21.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	44.1%±20.2Highest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	3.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest same as NH	1988Highest 9 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above NH	30 minLowest 13% above NH
Work from home	10.8%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%	21%±4.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#41 of 120 in NH	#49 of 120 in NH
School district	Candia School District	Hampstead 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.