What stands out worked out from the figures below

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

Grafton has the most people working from home (19.9%).

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	Effingham	Grafton
People
Population	1,912Highest	1,354Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+3.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH	43.1±10.6Lowest about the NH average
	Effingham and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	21%±4.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Grafton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	21%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Grafton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	24.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	4.5%±2.8Highest NH: 6%
	Grafton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,607±$14kLowest 23% below NH	$81,563±$22kHighest 18% below NH
	Grafton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,700±$30kHighest 20% below NH	$267,300±$23kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH	$1,243±$163Highest 17% below NH
	Grafton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Lowest 23% below NH	$5,239Highest 21% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	32.1%±34.1Highest NH: 48.2%
	Grafton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	83.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 3 yrs newer than NH	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 18% above NH	43 minHighest 62% above NH
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.9%±6.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Grafton and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.