What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hampton has the most affordable homes ($550k median).

Burlington has the highest household income ($146k).

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	Hampton	Burlington
People
Population	16,426Lowest	26,274Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.	45.9±2.2Lowest 18% above U.S.
Kids under 18	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.1%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	58.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Burlington and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,233±$9kLowest 18% above U.S.	$146,436±$14kHighest 81% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$550,200±$39kLowest 65% above U.S.	$740,600±$35kHighest 123% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,628±$94Lowest 15% above U.S.	$2,718±$368Highest 92% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.	$6,165Lowest 98% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.8%±10.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.4%±10.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hampton and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	74.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	21.7%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Burlington and Hampton 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	#31 of 120 in NH	#83 of 282 in MA
School district	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District	Burlington
High school in town	Winnacunnet High School	Burlington High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1Lowest	11.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.