What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hancock has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.7%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Cornish	Hancock
People
Population	1,816Highest	1,791Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH	53.8±4.5Lowest 24% above NH
	Cornish and Hancock 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%	15.4%±2.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Hancock 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%	30.2%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Hancock 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%	53.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%	4%±1.6Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kLowest 7% below NH	$95,208±$15kHighest 4% below NH
	Hancock and Cornish 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	$436,700±$22kHighest 8% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Highest 18% below NH	$1,208±$650Lowest 19% below NH
	Cornish and Hancock 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	$6,884Highest 3% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Highest NH: 48.2%	32.4%±55.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Cornish and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	85.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH	1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	33 minHighest 24% above NH
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.9%±3.2Highest NH: 16.8%
	Hancock and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Cornish School District	Contoocook Valley 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.