What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franconia has the most affordable homes ($530k median).

New Castle has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.3%).

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	New Castle
People
Population	1,060Highest	827Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+3.3%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	55.6±7Lowest 28% above NH	62.8±6Highest 45% above NH
	New Castle and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.2%±5.5Highest NH: 18.2%	12.9%±7.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Franconia and New Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	36.6%±6.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	44.3%±16.1Highest NH: 20.1%
	New Castle and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	68.8%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±5.4Highest NH: 6%	0.6%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Franconia and New Castle 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	$176,953±$29kHighest 79% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$530,300±$96kLowest 32% above NH	$1,701,300±$267kHighest 323% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,281±$278Lowest 14% below NH	$3,501Highest 135% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,451Lowest 12% above NH	$8,509Highest 28% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±74.4Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±85.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Franconia and New Castle 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%	4.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 25% below NH	33 minHighest 22% above NH
Work from home	11.9%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	40.1%±19.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Lafayette Regional School District	New Castle 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.