What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($191k median).

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Dalton	Windham
People
Population	916Lowest	16,038Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+16.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.5±12.9Highest about the NH average	41.1±2.9Lowest 5% below NH
	Dalton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±11.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	27.4%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Windham and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±1.3Highest NH: 20.1%	15.5%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Dalton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	62.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±4.3Highest NH: 6%	3.8%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Dalton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,429±$36kLowest 18% below NH	$189,583±$19kHighest 91% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$191,400±$68kLowest 52% below NH	$723,300±$50kHighest 80% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$825Lowest 40% below NH	$3,218±$350Highest 116% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,561Lowest 47% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±83.7Highest NH: 48.2%	52.2%±50.9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Dalton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH	1996Highest 17 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 26% below NH	31 minHighest 15% above NH
Work from home	5.9%±2.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	21.9%±4.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Windham School District
High school in town	—	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.