What stands out worked out from the figures below

Haverhill has the most affordable homes ($248k median).

Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).

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	Haverhill	Townsend
People
Population	4,611Lowest	9,100Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±10.6Highest 28% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Haverhill and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Haverhill and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,929±$22kLowest 6% above U.S.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
	Townsend and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$247,900±$41kLowest 25% below U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,115±$84Lowest 21% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,908Lowest 89% above U.S.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.6%±26.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Haverhill and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 23% above U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	4.7%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Townsend and Haverhill 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	#95 of 120 in NH	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Haverhill Cooperative School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Woodsville High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Lowest	13.1Highest
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.