What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lancaster has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Lancaster
People
Population	1,912Lowest	3,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH	45.5±6.9Lowest 5% above NH
	Effingham and Lancaster 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%	20.9%±6.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lancaster 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%	28.4%±5.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	30.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	2.9%±2.2Highest NH: 6%
	Lancaster 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±$14kHighest 23% below NH	$68,911±$23kLowest 30% below NH
	Effingham and Lancaster 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	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Highest 27% below NH	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH
	Effingham and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Highest 23% below NH	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	36.1%±17Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lancaster 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%	16.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	23 minLowest 14% below NH
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%	11.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham and Lancaster 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	—	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	White Mountains Regional School District
High school in town	None 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.