What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dayton has the most people working from home (16.3%).

Hooksett has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.6%).

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	Dayton	Hooksett
People
Population	2,313Lowest	15,057Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±5.5Highest 8% above U.S.	41.3±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Dayton and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	17.4%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dayton and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.3%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hooksett and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	39.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.9%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hooksett and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,750±$24kLowest 41% above U.S.	$117,962±$11kHighest 46% above U.S.
	Hooksett and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$398,200±$34kLowest 20% above U.S.	$407,000±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.
	Hooksett and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,215±$867Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,661±$206Highest 18% above U.S.
	Hooksett and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,872Lowest 24% above U.S.	$6,554Highest 110% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38%±19.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.7%±16.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hooksett and Dayton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1988Lowest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	16.3%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dayton and Hooksett 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	—	#30 of 120 in NH
School district	Dayton Public Schools	Hooksett 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.