Compare towns
Cornish vs Windham vs Bow vs Salisbury
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).
Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).
Bow has the most renters (12.5% rent).
Salisbury has the most homeowners (96.9%).
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 | Windham | Bow | Salisbury |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,816 |
16,038Highest |
8,335 |
1,609Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+16.4%Highest NH: +4.6% |
+9.4% NH: +4.6% |
+2.9% NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 25% above NH |
41.1±2.9Lowest 5% below NH |
41.5±2 4% below NH |
51.5±4.5 19% above NH |
| Cornish and Salisbury 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% |
27.4%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2% |
25%±3.6 NH: 18.2% |
20.1%±9.6 NH: 18.2% |
| Windham and Bow 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% |
15.5%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1% |
17.6%±2.5 NH: 20.1% |
24.9%±4 NH: 20.1% |
| Cornish and Salisbury 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% |
62.7%Highest NH: 40.6% |
60.3% NH: 40.6% |
37.3%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6% |
3.8%±1.8 NH: 6% |
5.6%±1.9Highest NH: 6% |
2%±1.1 NH: 6% |
| Bow and Windham 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 |
$189,583±$19kHighest 91% above NH |
$172,857±$16k 75% above NH |
$111,591±$17k 13% above NH |
| Windham and Bow 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 |
$723,300±$50kHighest 80% above NH |
$506,500±$34k 26% above NH |
$363,400±$47k 10% below NH |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH |
$3,218±$350Highest 116% above NH |
$1,539±$178 3% above NH |
$1,917±$632 29% above NH |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796Lowest 13% below NH |
$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH |
$9,584 44% above NH |
$5,859 12% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1 NH: 48.2% |
52.2%±50.9Highest NH: 48.2% |
39%±13.2 NH: 48.2% |
0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2% |
| Windham 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% |
2%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
2.7% NH: 7.2% |
7.1%Highest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1% NH: 72.8% |
93.9% NH: 72.8% |
87.5%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
96.9%Highest NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH |
1996Highest 17 yrs newer than NH |
1985 6 yrs newer than NH |
1982 3 yrs newer than NH |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 9% below NH |
31 min 15% above NH |
27 min about the NH average |
32 minHighest 20% above NH |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8% |
21.9%±4.4 NH: 16.8% |
22.7%±4.7 NH: 16.8% |
23.3%±10.6Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Salisbury and Bow 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 | — | #13 of 120 in NH | #26 of 120 in NH | — |
| School district | Cornish School District | Windham School District | Bow School District | Merrimack Valley School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Windham High School | Bow High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.8 |
12.8 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.