Compare towns
Laconia vs Cornish vs Meredith
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Cornish has the most homeowners (94.1%).
Meredith has the most people working from home (23.7%).
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 | Laconia | Cornish | Meredith |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 17,085Highest |
1,816Lowest |
6,758 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +5.8% NH: +4.6% |
-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6% |
+6.7%Highest NH: +4.6% |
| Median age | 45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH |
54±8.3 25% above NH |
55.5±3.7Highest 28% above NH |
| Meredith and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.4%±2.9Highest NH: 18.2% |
14.4%±3.2 NH: 18.2% |
12.6%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2% |
| Laconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.8%±2.7Lowest NH: 20.1% |
27.3%±4.1 NH: 20.1% |
34.2%±5Highest NH: 20.1% |
| Meredith and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
40.6% NH: 40.6% |
45.9%Highest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.1%±1.1Highest NH: 6% |
1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6% |
2.9%±1.2 NH: 6% |
| Laconia and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH |
$91,821±$2kHighest 7% below NH |
$87,019±$19k 12% below NH |
| Cornish and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $340,300±$16k 15% below NH |
$296,000±$69kLowest 26% below NH |
$480,100±$48kHighest 19% above NH |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,224±$107Highest 18% below NH |
$1,221±$227 18% below NH |
$1,149±$304Lowest 23% below NH |
| Laconia and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,484Lowest 33% below NH |
$5,796Highest 13% below NH |
$5,006 25% below NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2% |
40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2% |
48.5%±9.2 NH: 48.2% |
| Laconia and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.6%Highest NH: 7.2% |
4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
7.7% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
94.1%Highest NH: 72.8% |
75.8% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH |
1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH |
1975 4 yrs older than NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 36% below NH |
24 min 9% below NH |
26 minHighest about the NH average |
| Work from home | 13.5%±3.8 NH: 16.8% |
12%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8% |
23.7%±4.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #105 of 120 in NH | — | #62 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Laconia School District | Cornish School District | Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District |
| High school in town | Laconia High School | None in town | Inter-Lakes High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.0Lowest |
— | 11.1Highest |
| 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.