What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hillsborough has the youngest population (median age 40.9).

Ellsworth has the most people working from home (23.1%).

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	Hillsborough	Ellsworth
People
Population	5,980Highest	51Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.2% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	40.9±4.6Lowest 6% below NH	61.8±13.1Highest 43% above NH
Kids under 18	17.4%±4.6Highest NH: 18.2%	13.7%±59.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Hillsborough and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±3.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	39.2%±46.4Highest NH: 20.1%
	Ellsworth and Hillsborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	25%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.6Highest NH: 6%	0%±33.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Hillsborough and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,495±$12kLowest 15% below NH	$89,375±$39kHighest 10% below NH
	Ellsworth and Hillsborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,300±$16kLowest 32% below NH	$350,000±$170kHighest 13% below NH
	Ellsworth and Hillsborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,198±$390 20% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,815Highest 13% below NH	$3,813Lowest 43% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.7%±23.1 NH: 48.2%	—
Below poverty line	6%Highest NH: 7.2%	0%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	100%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	41 min 54% above NH	—
Work from home	14%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	23.1%±26.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Ellsworth and Hillsborough 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	#97 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Hillsboro-Deering Cooperative School District	—
High school in town	Hillsboro-Deering High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
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.