What stands out worked out from the figures below

Effingham has the most people working from home (16.1%).

Stoddard has the highest household income ($95k).

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	Stoddard
People
Population	1,912Highest	1,072Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+11.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Lowest 8% above NH	53±4Highest 22% above NH
	Stoddard 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%	17.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Effingham and Stoddard 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%	24.4%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	34.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	3.5%±1.7Highest NH: 6%
	Stoddard 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	$94,904±$11kHighest 4% below NH
	Stoddard 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	$330,300±$20kHighest 18% below NH
	Stoddard and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Highest 27% below NH	$895±$751Lowest 40% below NH
	Effingham and Stoddard 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	$4,316Lowest 35% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	52.6%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Stoddard 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%	4.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 18% above NH	34 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%	9.5%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham and Stoddard 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	Stoddard 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.