What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Wakefield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.4%).

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	Wakefield
People
Population	1,816Lowest	5,405Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH	49.4±4.1Lowest 14% above NH
	Cornish and Wakefield 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%	18.7%±3.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Wakefield 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%	18.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Cornish and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	26.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9 NH: 6%	1.4%±1.1 NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kLowest 7% below NH	$100,976±$11kHighest about the NH average
	Wakefield 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	$322,800±$43kHighest 20% below NH
	Wakefield 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	$1,375±$434Highest 8% below NH
	Wakefield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Highest 13% below NH	$2,954Lowest 56% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±82.9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Cornish and Wakefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	7.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	96.8%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980 1 yr newer than NH	1980 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	36 minHighest 34% above NH
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	15.1%±9.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Wakefield and Cornish 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	—	#118 of 120 in NH
School district	Cornish School District	Wakefield School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.