Compare towns
Concord vs Cornish vs Thornton
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Concord has the most renters (43.2% rent).
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).
Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).
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.
| Measure | Concord | Cornish | Thornton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 44,375Highest |
1,816Lowest |
2,799 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3% NH: +4.6% |
-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 40.7±1.3Lowest 6% below NH |
54±8.3Highest 25% above NH |
51.1±3.4 18% above NH |
| Cornish and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.2%±1.3Highest NH: 18.2% |
14.4%±3.2 NH: 18.2% |
13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2% |
| Concord and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 18.7%±1.5Lowest NH: 20.1% |
27.3%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1% |
19%±4.9 NH: 20.1% |
| Cornish and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 42.3% NH: 40.6% |
40.6%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
46.3%Highest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 6%±0.8Highest NH: 6% |
1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6% |
4.8%±2.9 NH: 6% |
| Concord and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $84,902±$5kLowest 14% below NH |
$91,821±$2kHighest 7% below NH |
$90,022±$17k 9% below NH |
| Cornish and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $350,900±$13k 13% below NH |
$296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH |
$351,900±$20kHighest 13% below NH |
| Thornton and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,441±$43Highest 3% below NH |
$1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH |
$1,270±$428 15% below NH |
| Concord and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $7,227Highest 8% above NH |
$5,796 13% below NH |
$5,032Lowest 25% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 44.1%±5.2 NH: 48.2% |
40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2% |
57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2% |
| Thornton and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.9% NH: 7.2% |
4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
9.2%Highest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 56.8%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
94.1%Highest NH: 72.8% |
88.3% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH |
1980 1 yr newer than NH |
1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 min 14% below NH |
24 minHighest 9% below NH |
23 minLowest 15% below NH |
| Work from home | 14.1%±1.8 NH: 16.8% |
12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8% |
29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #89 of 120 in NH | — | #18 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Concord School District · Merrimack Valley School District | Cornish School District | Thornton School District |
| High school in town | Concord High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 13.0 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.