What stands out worked out from the figures below

Effingham has the most kids (19.5% under 18).

Jackson has the most expensive homes ($719k 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	Effingham	Jackson
People
Population	1,912Highest	897Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+26%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Lowest 8% above NH	60.5±2.5Highest 40% above NH
	Jackson and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%	4.1%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.4%±6.4Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	67.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	3%±3.4Highest NH: 6%
	Jackson 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	$117,986±$46kHighest 19% above NH
	Jackson 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±$30kLowest 20% below NH	$719,300±$109kHighest 79% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH	$1,750±$1kHighest 17% above NH
	Jackson 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	$6,001Highest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	21.1%±59.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Jackson and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	16.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	91.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	19 minLowest 31% below NH
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.2%±10.2Highest NH: 16.8%
	Jackson 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	Jackson School District
High school in town	None 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.