What stands out worked out from the figures below

Erving has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Hampstead has the most people working from home (21%).

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	Erving	Hampstead
People
Population	1,703Lowest	9,102Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.3±2.4Lowest 11% above U.S.	45.3±6.1Highest 16% above U.S.
	Hampstead and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hampstead and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.8%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Erving and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hampstead and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,656±$9kLowest 4% below U.S.	$112,348±$18kHighest 39% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,800±$20kLowest 18% below U.S.	$521,100±$45kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,163±$213Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,299±$149Highest 8% below U.S.
	Hampstead and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,870Lowest 40% below U.S.	$8,634Highest 177% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.5%±23Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.1%±20.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Erving and Hampstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	3.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#49 of 120 in NH
School district	Erving	Hampstead School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.