What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has the most expensive homes ($493k median).

Laconia has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

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	Kingston	Laconia
People
Population	6,275Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	55.5±5.7Highest 28% above NH	45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	18.4%±2.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Laconia and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.7%±6Highest NH: 20.1%	22.8%±2.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Kingston and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Kingston and Laconia 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 6% above NH	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$492,900±$58kHighest 22% above NH	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$156Highest 7% below NH	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH
	Kingston and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,906Highest 19% above NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±46.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	15.7%±4.3Highest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Kingston and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#78 of 120 in NH	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Sanborn Regional School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	Sanborn Regional High School	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	10.0Lowest
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.