What stands out worked out from the figures below

Concord has the highest household income ($85k).

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	Concord	Laconia
People
Population	44,375Highest	17,085Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	40.7±1.3Lowest 6% below NH	45.3±3.9Highest 5% above NH
	Laconia and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	18.4%±2.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Laconia and Concord 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%	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±0.8Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,902±$5kHighest 14% below NH	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH
	Concord and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$350,900±$13kHighest 13% below NH	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH
	Concord and Laconia 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	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,227Highest 8% above NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.1%±5.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH	1974Highest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	14.1%±1.8Highest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Concord and Laconia 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	#89 of 120 in NH	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Concord School District · Merrimack Valley School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	Concord High School	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.0Highest	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.