What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Merrimack has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.5%).

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	Merrimack
People
Population	1,816Lowest	28,164Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH	41.5±2.2Lowest 4% below NH
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	22%±2.5Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1%	16.8%±1.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	50.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±1.2Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kLowest 7% below NH	$127,219±$16kHighest 28% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH	$458,600±$15kHighest 14% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH	$1,932±$147Highest 30% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Lowest 13% below NH	$7,345Highest 10% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Highest NH: 48.2%	34.9%±9.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Cornish and Merrimack 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%	3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	88.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	21%±3.3Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#58 of 120 in NH
School district	Cornish School District	Merrimack School District
High school in town	None in town	Merrimack High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.5
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.