What stands out worked out from the figures below

Claremont has the most affordable homes ($205k median).

Laconia has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

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	Claremont	Laconia
People
Population	13,078Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.6±3.5Lowest about the NH average	45.3±3.9Highest 5% above NH
	Laconia and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.8Highest NH: 18.2%	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Claremont and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±3.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	27.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Highest NH: 6%
	Laconia and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,096±$8kLowest 40% below NH	$73,218±$12kHighest 26% below NH
	Laconia and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$204,600±$17kLowest 49% below NH	$340,300±$16kHighest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,146±$83Lowest 23% below NH	$1,224±$107Highest 18% below NH
	Laconia and Claremont are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,774Highest 13% below NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.6%±12.5Highest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Claremont and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.5%Highest NH: 7.2%	12.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 22 yrs older than NH	1974Highest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	8.6%±2.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Laconia and Claremont 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	#103 of 120 in NH	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Claremont School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	Stevens High School	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.0Lowest
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.