What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Kingston has the most expensive homes ($493k 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	Laconia	Kingston
People
Population	17,085Highest	6,275Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH	55.5±5.7Highest 28% above NH
Kids under 18	18.4%±2.9Highest NH: 18.2%	13.5%±3.9Lowest 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+	22.8%±2.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.7%±6Highest 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+	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	35.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	3.6%±2.1Highest 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	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH	$105,330±$12kHighest 6% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH	$492,900±$58kHighest 22% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH	$1,393±$156Highest 7% 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	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH	$7,906Highest 19% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%	46.9%±46.4Lowest 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	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	74.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below NH	34 minHighest 27% above NH
Work from home	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	15.7%±4.3Highest 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	#105 of 120 in NH	#78 of 120 in NH
School district	Laconia School District	Sanborn Regional School District
High school in town	Laconia High School	Sanborn Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Lowest	12.9Highest
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.