What stands out worked out from the figures below

Laconia has the most people working from home (13.5%).

Pittston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.8%).

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	Laconia	Pittston
People
Population	17,085Highest	3,093Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±3.9Highest 16% above U.S.	41.4±5.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Laconia and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%	17.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Laconia and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±6.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Laconia and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pittston 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 9% below U.S.	$86,614±$18kHighest 7% above U.S.
	Pittston and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$340,300±$16kHighest about the U.S. average	$238,700±$66kLowest 28% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,224±$107Highest 13% below U.S.	$1,080±$593Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Laconia and Pittston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Highest 44% above U.S.	$1,909Lowest 39% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±10.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.6%±34.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pittston and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	10.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	3.8%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 120 in NH	#123 of 133 in ME
School district	Laconia School District	RSU 11/MSAD 11
High school in town	Laconia High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.