What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Mason has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Mason
People
Population	1,816Highest	1,451Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH	43.7±2.3Lowest about the NH average
	Cornish and Mason 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%	28.8%±6.3Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1%	15.6%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	39.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%	1.8%±1.1Highest NH: 6%
	Mason 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	$111,090±$3kHighest 12% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH	$384,000±$21kHighest 5% below NH
	Mason and Cornish 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	$2,530±$852Highest 70% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Lowest 13% below NH	$7,049Highest 6% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	87.2%±42.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Mason and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7% NH: 7.2%	4.7% NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	90.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH	1988Highest 9 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	41 minHighest 53% above NH
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	20.7%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Cornish School District	Mason 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.