What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellsworth has the oldest population (median age 61.8).

Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).

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	Ellsworth	Thornton
People
Population	51Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.8% NH: +4.6%
Median age	61.8±13.1Highest 43% above NH	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% above NH
	Ellsworth and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.7%±59.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	13.9%±4.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Thornton and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.2%±46.4Highest NH: 20.1%	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Ellsworth and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±33.3Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,375±$39kLowest 10% below NH	$90,022±$17kHighest 9% below NH
	Thornton and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$350,000±$170kLowest 13% below NH	$351,900±$20kHighest 13% below NH
	Thornton and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,270±$428 15% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,813Lowest 43% below NH	$5,032Highest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	57.7%±24.7 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	0%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	23 min 15% below NH
Work from home	23.1%±26.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Thornton and Ellsworth 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	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Thornton School District
High school 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.