What stands out worked out from the figures below

Columbia has the most affordable homes ($196k median).

Meredith has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.7%).

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	Columbia	Meredith
People
Population	683Lowest	6,758Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+6.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.8±10.1Lowest 20% above NH	55.5±3.7Highest 28% above NH
	Meredith and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%	12.6%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Columbia and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.9%±8.3Lowest NH: 20.1%	34.2%±5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Meredith and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	45.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%	2.9%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Columbia and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,917±$13kLowest 42% below NH	$87,019±$19kHighest 12% below NH
	Meredith and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,400±$29kLowest 51% below NH	$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$792±$333Lowest 47% below NH	$1,149±$304Highest 23% below NH
	Meredith and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,009Lowest 70% below NH	$5,006Highest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	9.1%±95.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	48.5%±9.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Meredith and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 24% below NH	26 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	11.2%±6.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#62 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District
High school in town	—	Inter-Lakes High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.