What stands out worked out from the figures below

Eaton has the oldest population (median age 59.6).

Thornton has the most kids (13.9% under 18).

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	Eaton	Thornton
People
Population	501Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.8% NH: +4.6%
Median age	59.6±14Highest 38% above NH	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% above NH
	Eaton and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	9.6%±5Lowest NH: 18.2%	13.9%±4.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Thornton and Eaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	41.3%±15.7Highest NH: 20.1%	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	51.5%Highest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.2%±2.9Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Eaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,063±$9kLowest 20% below NH	$90,022±$17kHighest 9% below NH
	Thornton and Eaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$377,300±$62kHighest 6% below NH	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH
	Eaton and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,270±$428 15% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,014Lowest 40% below NH	$5,032Highest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Eaton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11%Highest NH: 7.2%	9.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	24.4%±12.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Thornton and Eaton 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	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Thornton School District
High school 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.