What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colebrook has the most affordable homes ($192k median).

Bethlehem has the most people working from home (31.2%).

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	Colebrook	Bethlehem
People
Population	1,988Lowest	2,537Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.7±4.9Highest 24% above NH	50.6±8.5Lowest 17% above NH
	Colebrook and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	17.7%±5.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bethlehem and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.2%±5.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bethlehem and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	45.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	0.9%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%
	Colebrook and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,159±$6kLowest 48% below NH	$85,029±$18kHighest 14% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,200±$59kLowest 52% below NH	$288,300±$22kHighest 28% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$750±$238Lowest 50% below NH	$1,174±$81Highest 21% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,350Lowest 35% below NH	$5,418Highest 19% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±19.3Highest NH: 48.2%	41.3%±18.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Colebrook and Bethlehem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	10.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.4%Lowest NH: 72.8%	75.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973 6 yrs older than NH	1973 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 21% below NH	20 minLowest 24% below NH
Work from home	5.4%±3.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	31.2%±12.9Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#34 of 120 in NH
School district	Colebrook School District	Bethlehem School District · Profile School District
High school in town	Colebrook Academy and Elementary School (H)	Profile Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.4Lowest	8.9Highest
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.