What stands out worked out from the figures below

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Canterbury has the highest household income ($129k).

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($227k 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	Canterbury	Ashland
People
Population	2,353Highest	2,183Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Highest NH: +4.6%	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.6±3.8Highest 12% above NH	42.3±11.2Lowest about the NH average
	Canterbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	21.4%±6.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Ashland and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±3.3Lowest NH: 20.1%	25.8%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%
	Ashland and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±3Highest NH: 6%	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Canterbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,333±$37kHighest 31% above NH	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$443,700±$21kHighest 10% above NH	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,136±$233Highest 43% above NH	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,421Highest 11% above NH	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	71.7%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Canterbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	21.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 22% above NH	26 minLowest 4% below NH
Work from home	21.6%±7.4Highest NH: 16.8%	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Canterbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Shaker Regional School District	Ashland School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.