What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

Jaffrey has the most homeowners (81.8%).

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	Gardner	Jaffrey
People
Population	21,148Highest	5,448Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.	42.9±3.9Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Gardner and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Jaffrey and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gardner and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	31.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gardner and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,518±$8kLowest 16% below U.S.	$92,330±$18kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Jaffrey and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kHighest 9% below U.S.	$245,500±$27kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Highest 22% below U.S.	$962±$202Lowest 32% below U.S.
	Gardner and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Lowest 33% above U.S.	$6,196Highest 99% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.7%±23Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Gardner and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Gardner and Jaffrey 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	#273 of 282 in MA	#87 of 120 in NH
School district	Gardner	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
High school in town	Gardner High	Conant Middle High School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	21.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.