What stands out worked out from the figures below

Farmington has the most affordable homes ($289k median).

Barnstead has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7%).

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	Farmington	Barnstead
People
Population	6,795Highest	4,994Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.1±7.1Highest 13% above NH	42.8±3.1Lowest about the NH average
	Farmington and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.1%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	21%±5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Barnstead and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.6%±4.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Barnstead and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	30.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	5.9%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Barnstead and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,943±$4kLowest 32% below NH	$111,660±$12kHighest 13% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$289,200±$47kLowest 28% below NH	$362,400±$25kHighest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$110Lowest 26% below NH	$1,395±$75Highest 6% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,723Lowest 29% below NH	$6,003Highest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.3%±16Lowest NH: 48.2%	47.6%±50.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Barnstead and Farmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 7% above NH	31 minHighest 16% above NH
Work from home	14.5%±5.9Highest NH: 16.8%	13%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Farmington and Barnstead 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	#106 of 120 in NH	#111 of 120 in NH
School district	Farmington School District	Barnstead School District
High school in town	Farmington Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	5.5	—
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.