What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Strafford has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.4%).

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	Strafford
People
Population	1,816Highest	1,372Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S.	51.4±4.7Lowest 32% above U.S.
	Cornish and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Cornish and Strafford 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 U.S.: 35.7%	53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kLowest 14% above U.S.	$110,833±$19kHighest 37% above U.S.
	Strafford 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 11% below U.S.	$431,300±$40kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Highest 14% below U.S.	$1,125±$789Lowest 20% below U.S.
	Cornish and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Lowest 86% above U.S.	$7,149Highest 129% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±48Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Strafford and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980 same as U.S.	1980 same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Strafford 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	Strafford School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.