What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has the most people working from home (15.7%).

Ira has the most affordable homes ($273k 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	Kingston	Ira
People
Population	6,275Highest	381Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	55.5±5.7Highest 43% above U.S.	54.1±5.5Lowest 39% above U.S.
	Kingston and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Kingston and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.7%±6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ira and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Kingston and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,330±$12kHighest 30% above U.S.	$71,827±$5kLowest 11% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$492,900±$58kHighest 48% above U.S.	$272,900±$18kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$156Highest about the U.S. average	$942±$52Lowest 33% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,906Highest 153% above U.S.	$4,146Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±46.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Kingston and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above U.S.	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.
Work from home	15.7%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#78 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Sanborn Regional School District	—
High school in town	Sanborn Regional High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.