What stands out worked out from the figures below

Croydon has the most affordable homes ($317k median).

Brookline has the most people working from home (24.7%).

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	Croydon	Brookline
People
Population	798Lowest	5,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+13%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43±9.1Highest about the NH average	41.2±1.5Lowest 5% below NH
	Croydon and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±6.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	26.7%±4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Brookline and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±3.6Highest NH: 20.1%	11.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	57.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±3.3Lowest NH: 6%	6.3%±3.2Highest NH: 6%
	Brookline and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,333±$21kLowest about the NH average	$171,046±$4kHighest 73% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$317,300±$33kLowest 21% below NH	$544,400±$38kHighest 35% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$991±$336Lowest 34% below NH	$2,500±$1kHighest 68% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,806Lowest 43% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.1%±75.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	23.8%±43.5Highest NH: 48.2%
	Brookline and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	0.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 2 yrs newer than NH	1993Highest 14 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the NH average	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	24.7%±5.8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	Croydon School District	Brookline 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.