What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Tuftonboro has the most expensive homes ($462k 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	Tuftonboro
People
Population	1,912Lowest	2,569Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+3.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Lowest 8% above NH	51.9±7.5Highest 20% above NH
	Tuftonboro 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%	18.2%±4.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Effingham and Tuftonboro 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%	27.8%±6.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Tuftonboro and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	37.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Highest NH: 6%	0.8%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Effingham and Tuftonboro 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	$100,574±$16kHighest about the NH average
	Tuftonboro 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	$462,300±$46kHighest 15% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH	$1,311±$358Highest 12% below NH
	Tuftonboro 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	$3,004Lowest 55% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Highest NH: 48.2%	6.5%±28.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Effingham and Tuftonboro 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%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	92.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	30 minLowest 12% above NH
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%	14.3%±8.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham and Tuftonboro 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	Governor Wentworth Regional 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.