What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k median).

Kensington has the most expensive homes ($658k median).

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	Jaffrey	Kensington
People
Population	5,448Highest	2,009Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-1.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.9±3.9Lowest about the NH average	43.3±5.9Highest about the NH average
	Kensington and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%	17.1%±2.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Jaffrey and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	18.8%±2.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Kensington and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	48.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.4Lowest NH: 6%	3.4%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
	Kensington and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,330±$18kLowest 7% below NH	$165,083±$18kHighest 67% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,500±$27kLowest 39% below NH	$657,700±$47kHighest 63% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$962±$202Lowest 35% below NH	$1,813±$627Highest 22% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,196Lowest 7% below NH	$9,637Highest 45% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±23Highest NH: 48.2%	24.4%±38.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Jaffrey and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	92.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 8% below NH	29 minHighest 7% above NH
Work from home	7.5%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.2%±3.9Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#87 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District	Kensington School District
High school in town	Conant Middle High School (H)	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	21.3	—
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.