What stands out worked out from the figures below

Concord has the most expensive homes ($351k median).

Rochester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

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	Concord	Rochester
People
Population	44,375Highest	33,144Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	40.7±1.3Lowest 6% below NH	43±1.8Highest about the NH average
	Rochester 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%	18.2%±1.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Rochester 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%	19.6%±1.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Rochester 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%	27.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±0.8Highest NH: 6%	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%
	Concord and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,902±$5kHighest 14% below NH	$80,836±$3kLowest 18% below NH
	Concord and Rochester 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	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,441±$43Highest 3% below NH	$1,369±$72Lowest 8% below NH
	Concord and Rochester 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	$5,334Lowest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.1%±5.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Rochester and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	8.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	66%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below NH	26 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	14.1%±1.8Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Concord and Rochester 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	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	Concord School District · Merrimack Valley School District	Rochester School District
High school in town	Concord High School	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.0Lowest	13.2Highest
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.