What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).

Franconia has the most expensive homes ($530k median).

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	Cornish	Franconia
People
Population	1,816Highest	1,060Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	-1.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Lowest 25% above NH	55.6±7Highest 28% above NH
	Franconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	15.2%±5.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Franconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	36.6%±6.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Franconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	57.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%	5%±5.4Highest NH: 6%
	Franconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kHighest 7% below NH	$87,292±$28kLowest 12% below NH
	Cornish and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH	$530,300±$96kHighest 32% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH	$1,281±$278Highest 14% below NH
	Franconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Lowest 13% below NH	$7,451Highest 12% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	73.2%±74.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Franconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	83.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below NH	20 minLowest 25% below NH
Work from home	12%±4.1Highest NH: 16.8%	11.9%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Cornish and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Cornish School District	Lafayette Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.