What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlestown has the most affordable homes ($228k median).

Cushing has the most people working from home (18.5%).

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	Charlestown	Cushing
People
Population	4,889Highest	1,460Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±8.5Lowest 7% above U.S.	48.8±7.7Highest 25% above U.S.
	Cushing and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%	17.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Charlestown and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Charlestown and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	38.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Charlestown and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,338±$23kLowest 41% below U.S.	$83,500±$19kHighest 3% above U.S.
	Cushing and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$228,000±$62kLowest 31% below U.S.	$409,800±$44kHighest 23% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,099±$85Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,553±$376Highest 10% above U.S.
	Cushing and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,143Highest 65% above U.S.	$3,944Lowest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65%±24.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.7%±19.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Charlestown and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.	23 minLowest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	7.6%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.5%±6.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#113 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	RSU 13
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.