What stands out worked out from the figures below

Groton has the most affordable homes ($269k median).

Amherst has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.9%).

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	Groton	Amherst
People
Population	507Lowest	11,861Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±16.2Highest 18% above NH	45.9±3.5Lowest 6% above NH
	Groton and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.4%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Amherst and Groton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.4%±4.8Highest NH: 20.1%	20.2%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	65.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±2Lowest NH: 6%	3.7%±1.5Highest NH: 6%
	Amherst and Groton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,625±$21kLowest 14% below NH	$153,196±$10kHighest 55% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$269,000±$45kLowest 33% below NH	$537,600±$30kHighest 34% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,667±$295Highest 79% above NH	$1,462±$256Lowest about the NH average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,873Lowest 57% below NH	$9,773Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±83.6Highest NH: 48.2%	31.4%±9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Groton and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.5%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	91.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 10% above NH	33 minHighest 22% above NH
Work from home	13.7%±6.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	32.4%±5.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#20 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District
High school in town	—	Souhegan Coop High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.4
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.