What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deerfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13.4%).

Canaan has the most affordable homes ($254k 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	Deerfield	Canaan
People
Population	4,932Highest	3,811Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.8±4.2Lowest about the NH average	44.4±3.7Highest about the NH average
	Canaan and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.1Highest NH: 18.2%	14.7%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Deerfield and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.5%±3.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	19.1%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Canaan and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	28.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%	7%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Canaan and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$131,563±$10kHighest 33% above NH	$81,583±$6kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$421,000±$33kHighest 5% above NH	$254,000±$26kLowest 37% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,593±$318Highest 7% above NH	$1,140±$90Lowest 24% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,369Highest 11% above NH	$5,985Lowest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.4%±17.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	74.4%±25.1Highest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	6.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	13.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	77.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 28% above NH	30 minLowest 12% above NH
Work from home	22.4%±6.3Highest NH: 16.8%	14.9%±6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Deerfield and Canaan 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	#61 of 120 in NH	#83 of 120 in NH
School district	Deerfield School District	Mascoma Valley Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.3
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.