What stands out worked out from the figures below

Farmington has the most people working from home (14.5%).

Rochester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

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	Rochester
People
Population	6,795Lowest	33,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.1±7.1Highest 13% above NH	43±1.8Lowest about the NH average
	Farmington and Rochester 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%	18.2%±1.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Rochester 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%	19.6%±1.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Rochester 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%	27.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	4.3%±1Highest NH: 6%
	Rochester 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	$80,836±$3kHighest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$289,200±$47kHighest 28% below NH	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH
	Farmington and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$110Lowest 26% below NH	$1,369±$72Highest 8% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,723Lowest 29% below NH	$5,334Highest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.3%±16 NH: 48.2%	46.3%±7 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	8.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	66%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 7% above NH	26 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	14.5%±5.9Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Farmington and Rochester 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	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	Farmington School District	Rochester School District
High school in town	Farmington Senior High School	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	5.5Lowest	13.2Highest
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.