What stands out worked out from the figures below

Center Harbor has the most expensive homes ($464k median).

Alstead has the most affordable homes ($272k 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	Center Harbor	Alstead
People
Population	955Lowest	1,551Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-3.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	60.4±4.8Highest 39% above NH	56±3.3Lowest 29% above NH
	Center Harbor and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.9%±5.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	12.3%±3.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Alstead and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.5%±13.2Highest NH: 20.1%	27.8%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Center Harbor and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	28.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	3.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Alstead and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,313±$16kHighest 5% above NH	$64,526±$11kLowest 35% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$463,800±$74kHighest 15% above NH	$271,600±$37kLowest 33% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,667Lowest 30% below NH	$5,322Highest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	14.3%±59.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Alstead and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91%Highest NH: 72.8%	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 8% below NH	32 minHighest 19% above NH
Work from home	8.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	12.1%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Alstead and Center Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Fall Mountain Regional School District
High school 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.