What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cushing has the most people working from home (18.5%).

Charlestown has the most affordable homes ($228k median).

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	Cushing	Charlestown
People
Population	1,460Lowest	4,889Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.8±7.7Highest 25% above U.S.	41.6±8.5Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Cushing and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Charlestown and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Charlestown and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	12.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Charlestown and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,500±$19kHighest 3% above U.S.	$47,338±$23kLowest 41% below U.S.
	Cushing and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$409,800±$44kHighest 23% above U.S.	$228,000±$62kLowest 31% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,553±$376Highest 10% above U.S.	$1,099±$85Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Cushing and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,944Lowest 26% above U.S.	$5,143Highest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.7%±19.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	65%±24.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Charlestown and Cushing are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 11% below U.S.	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	18.5%±6.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#113 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 13	Fall Mountain Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.