Compare towns
Cornish vs Surry vs Thornton
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 affordable homes ($296k median).
Surry has the most kids (20.8% under 18).
Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).
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.
| Measure | Cornish | Surry | Thornton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,816 |
1,052Lowest |
2,799Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+12%Highest NH: +4.6% |
+8.8% NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 25% above NH |
44.7±5.1Lowest 3% above NH |
51.1±3.4 18% above NH |
| Cornish and Thornton 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% |
20.8%±6.2Highest NH: 18.2% |
13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2% |
| Surry 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% |
23.3%±7 NH: 20.1% |
19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1% |
| Cornish and Surry 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% |
31.7%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
46.3%Highest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6% |
6.6%±6.6Highest NH: 6% |
4.8%±2.9 NH: 6% |
| Surry and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $91,821±$2k 7% below NH |
$110,125±$25kHighest 11% above NH |
$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below NH |
| Surry 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 26% below NH |
$331,400±$23k 18% below NH |
$351,900±$20kHighest 13% below NH |
| Thornton and Surry 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 |
$1,955±$374Highest 31% above NH |
$1,270±$428 15% below NH |
| Surry and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796 13% below NH |
$6,384Highest 4% below NH |
$5,032Lowest 25% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1 NH: 48.2% |
33.3%±74.3Lowest NH: 48.2% |
57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2% |
| Thornton 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% |
3.1%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
9.2%Highest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1%Highest NH: 72.8% |
91.6% NH: 72.8% |
88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 1 yr newer than NH |
1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH |
1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest 9% below NH |
22 minLowest 18% below NH |
23 min 15% below NH |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8% |
16%±7.1 NH: 16.8% |
29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Thornton and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | — | #18 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Cornish School District | — | Thornton School District |
| High school in town | None in town | — | None in town |
| 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.