What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Nelson has the most people working from home (31.5%).

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	Kensington	Nelson
People
Population	2,009Highest	648Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-13.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.3±5.9Highest about the NH average	42.3±11.7Lowest about the NH average
	Kensington and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±2.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	27.5%±6.6Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	18.8%±2.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.8%±2Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	61.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.3Highest NH: 6%	0.9%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Kensington and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$165,083±$18kHighest 67% above NH	$99,792±$23kLowest about the NH average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$657,700±$47kHighest 63% above NH	$340,900±$49kLowest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,813±$627Highest 22% above NH	$1,203±$243Lowest 19% below NH
	Kensington and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,637Highest 45% above NH	$5,575Lowest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.4%±38.5Lowest NH: 48.2%	40%±68.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Nelson and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 7% above NH	24 minLowest 9% below NH
Work from home	19.2%±3.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	31.5%±8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Kensington School District	Nelson 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.