Compare towns
Keene vs Milford vs Henniker
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Keene has the most affordable homes ($253k median).
Milford has the most kids (23.7% under 18).
Henniker has grown the fastest since 2010 (+27.9%).
Henniker is a college town. 27% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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.
| Measure | Keene | Milford | Henniker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 22,939Highest |
16,337 |
6,197Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+6.7% NH: +4.6% |
+27.9%Highest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 37.6±2.3Highest 13% below NH |
36.8±2.5 15% below NH |
31.1±6.1Lowest 28% below NH |
| Keene and Milford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.1%±1.6Lowest NH: 18.2% |
23.7%±3.6Highest NH: 18.2% |
15.3%±3.7 NH: 18.2% |
| Age 65+ | 19.5%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1% |
15.1%±1.9Lowest NH: 20.1% |
16.5%±6 NH: 20.1% |
| Keene and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 44.1%Highest NH: 40.6% |
37.2%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
41.4% NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 13.8%±1.4 NH: 6% |
4.2%±1.3Lowest NH: 6% |
27%±6.5Highest NH: 6% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $78,445±$8kLowest 21% below NH |
$97,768±$14kHighest about the NH average |
$95,206±$21k 4% below NH |
| Milford and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $252,500±$12kLowest 37% below NH |
$398,800±$20kHighest about the NH average |
$356,700±$49k 11% below NH |
| Milford and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,342±$68 10% below NH |
$1,661±$126Highest 11% above NH |
$1,081±$164Lowest 27% below NH |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $6,812Lowest about the NH average |
$7,522 13% above NH |
$8,877Highest 33% above NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 44.5%±6.1 NH: 48.2% |
49.6%±15.8Highest NH: 48.2% |
43.5%±22.6Lowest NH: 48.2% |
| Milford and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 10.1% NH: 7.2% |
3.9%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
11.6%Highest NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 55.1%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
64.9%Highest NH: 72.8% |
64.5% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1961Lowest 18 yrs older than NH |
1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH |
1974 5 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 36% below NH |
27 minHighest about the NH average |
20 min 24% below NH |
| Work from home | 15.6%±2.7Highest NH: 16.8% |
15.6%±3.3Highest NH: 16.8% |
15.5%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #81 of 120 in NH | #55 of 120 in NH | #56 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Keene School District | Milford School District | Henniker School District |
| High school in town | Keene High School | Milford High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.3Highest |
10.7Lowest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.