What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hancock has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.7%).

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	Hancock	Kensington
People
Population	1,791Lowest	2,009Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-1.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.8±4.5Highest 24% above NH	43.3±5.9Lowest about the NH average
Kids under 18	15.4%±2.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	17.1%±2.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Kensington and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.2%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%	18.8%±2.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	48.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.6Highest NH: 6%	3.4%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Hancock and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,208±$15kLowest 4% below NH	$165,083±$18kHighest 67% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$436,700±$22kLowest 8% above NH	$657,700±$47kHighest 63% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,208±$650Lowest 19% below NH	$1,813±$627Highest 22% above NH
	Kensington and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,884Lowest 3% above NH	$9,637Highest 45% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.4%±55.6Highest NH: 48.2%	24.4%±38.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Hancock and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	92.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above NH	29 minLowest 7% above NH
Work from home	14.9%±3.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.2%±3.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Kensington and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley 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.