What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.5%).

Gilsum has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Gilsum
People
Population	1,816Highest	716Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	-7.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH	44.8±8.1Lowest 3% above NH
	Cornish and Gilsum 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%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Cornish and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1%	19.3%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	18.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%	3.1%±2.3Highest NH: 6%
	Gilsum 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	$80,417±$7kLowest 19% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kHighest 26% below NH	$241,500±$32kLowest 40% below NH
	Cornish and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH	$1,575±$894Highest 6% above NH
	Gilsum and Cornish 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	$5,579Lowest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	76.5%±55.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Gilsum 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%	13.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	93.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	12%±4.1Highest NH: 16.8%	11.9%±8.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Cornish and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Cornish School District	Monadnock 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.