What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

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	Lyme
People
Population	1,816Highest	1,710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH	48.6±7.8Lowest 12% above NH
	Cornish and Lyme 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%	19.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lyme and Cornish 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%	26.5%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Cornish and Lyme 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%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Lyme 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±$2kLowest 7% below NH	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH	$1,418±$130Highest 5% below NH
	Lyme 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	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme and Cornish 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%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	80.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below NH	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Cornish School District	Lyme 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.