What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Meredith has the most expensive homes ($480k 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	Meredith
People
Population	1,912Lowest	6,758Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+6.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Lowest 8% above NH	55.5±3.7Highest 28% above NH
	Meredith 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%	12.6%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Effingham and Meredith 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%	34.2%±5Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	45.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	2.9%±1.2Highest NH: 6%
	Meredith 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	$87,019±$19kHighest 12% below NH
	Meredith 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	$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH	$1,149±$304Highest 23% below NH
	Meredith and Effingham 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	$5,006Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	48.5%±9.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Meredith 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%	75.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	26 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Meredith and Effingham 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	—	#62 of 120 in NH
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District
High school in town	None in town	Inter-Lakes High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.