Compare towns
Cornish vs Freedom vs Meredith
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).
Freedom has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13.4%).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
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.
| Measure | Cornish | Freedom | Meredith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,816 |
1,494Lowest |
6,758Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+13.4%Highest NH: +4.6% |
+6.7% NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Lowest 25% above NH |
60.6±3.2Highest 40% above NH |
55.5±3.7 28% above NH |
| Freedom and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2Highest NH: 18.2% |
12.9%±5.4 NH: 18.2% |
12.6%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2% |
| Cornish and Freedom 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% |
40.3%±4.7Highest NH: 20.1% |
34.2%±5 NH: 20.1% |
| Freedom and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40.6% NH: 40.6% |
39.4%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
45.9%Highest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9 NH: 6% |
1.3%±1.5Lowest NH: 6% |
2.9%±1.2Highest NH: 6% |
| Meredith 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 |
$66,136±$14kLowest 33% below NH |
$87,019±$19k 12% below NH |
| Cornish and Meredith 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 |
$389,000±$43k 3% below NH |
$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH |
| Meredith and Freedom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227Highest 18% below NH |
— | $1,149±$304Lowest 23% below NH |
| Cornish and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796Highest 13% below NH |
$3,478Lowest 48% below NH |
$5,006 25% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2% |
79.6%±75Highest NH: 48.2% |
48.5%±9.2 NH: 48.2% |
| Freedom and Meredith 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% |
15%Highest NH: 7.2% |
7.7% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1%Highest NH: 72.8% |
91% NH: 72.8% |
75.8%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 1 yr newer than NH |
1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH |
1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 9% below NH |
26 minHighest about the NH average |
26 minHighest about the NH average |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8% |
18.5%±7.6 NH: 16.8% |
23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Meredith and Freedom 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 | — | — | #62 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Cornish School District | Freedom School District | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Inter-Lakes High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 11.1 |
| 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.