What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has the most expensive homes ($645k 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	Lyme
People
Population	1,912Highest	1,710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Lowest 8% above NH	48.6±7.8Highest 12% above NH
	Lyme and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5 NH: 18.2%	19.5%±3.4 NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Lyme 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	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,700±$30kLowest 20% below NH	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH	$1,418±$130Highest 5% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Lowest 23% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme 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%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	80.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Lyme 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.