What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franconia has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Kensington has the highest household income ($165k).

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	Franconia	Kensington
People
Population	1,060Lowest	2,009Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-1.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	55.6±7Highest 28% above NH	43.3±5.9Lowest about the NH average
	Franconia and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.2%±5.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	17.1%±2.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Kensington and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	36.6%±6.7Highest NH: 20.1%	18.8%±2.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	48.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±5.4Highest NH: 6%	3.4%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Franconia and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,292±$28kLowest 12% below NH	$165,083±$18kHighest 67% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$530,300±$96kLowest 32% above NH	$657,700±$47kHighest 63% above NH
	Kensington and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,281±$278Lowest 14% below NH	$1,813±$627Highest 22% above NH
	Kensington and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,451Lowest 12% above NH	$9,637Highest 45% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±74.4Highest NH: 48.2%	24.4%±38.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Franconia and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	92.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 2 yrs newer than NH	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 25% below NH	29 minHighest 7% above NH
Work from home	11.9%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.2%±3.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Kensington and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Lafayette Regional School District	Kensington 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.