Compare towns
Cornish vs Laconia 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 homeowners (94.1%).
Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).
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 | Laconia | Meredith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,816Lowest |
17,085Highest |
6,758 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+5.8% NH: +4.6% |
+6.7%Highest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 54±8.3 25% above NH |
45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH |
55.5±3.7Highest 28% above NH |
| Meredith and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2 NH: 18.2% |
18.4%±2.9Highest NH: 18.2% |
12.6%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2% |
| Laconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4.1 NH: 20.1% |
22.8%±2.7Lowest NH: 20.1% |
34.2%±5Highest NH: 20.1% |
| Meredith 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% NH: 40.6% |
27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
45.9%Highest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6% |
3.1%±1.1Highest NH: 6% |
2.9%±1.2 NH: 6% |
| Laconia and Meredith 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 |
$73,218±$12kLowest 26% 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 |
$340,300±$16k 15% below NH |
$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227 18% below NH |
$1,224±$107Highest 18% below NH |
$1,149±$304Lowest 23% below NH |
| Laconia 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 |
$4,484Lowest 33% below NH |
$5,006 25% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2% |
54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2% |
48.5%±9.2 NH: 48.2% |
| Laconia 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% |
12.6%Highest NH: 7.2% |
7.7% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1%Highest NH: 72.8% |
64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
75.8% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH |
1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH |
1975 4 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 9% below NH |
17 minLowest 36% below NH |
26 minHighest about the NH average |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8% |
13.5%±3.8 NH: 16.8% |
23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #105 of 120 in NH | #62 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Cornish School District | Laconia School District | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Laconia High School | Inter-Lakes High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.0Lowest |
11.1Highest |
| 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.