What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hooksett has the highest household income ($118k).

Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).

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	Hooksett	Thornton
People
Population	15,057Highest	2,799Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.3±1.5Lowest 5% below NH	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH
Kids under 18	17.4%±2.9Highest NH: 18.2%	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Hooksett and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.3%±2.4Lowest NH: 20.1%	19%±4.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Thornton and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.9%±1.6Highest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Lowest NH: 6%
	Hooksett and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$117,962±$11kHighest 19% above NH	$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below NH
	Hooksett and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,000±$26kHighest about the NH average	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,661±$206Highest 11% above NH	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH
	Hooksett and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,554Highest about the NH average	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±16.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 9 yrs newer than NH	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	13.4%±3.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#30 of 120 in NH	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Hooksett School District	Thornton 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.