What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Randolph has the most affordable homes ($279k 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	Randolph
People
Population	17,085Highest	4,843Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±3.9Highest 16% above U.S.	40.4±7.4Lowest 4% above U.S.
	Laconia and Randolph 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%	17.3%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Laconia and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Randolph 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 U.S.: 35.7%	40.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	11.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,218±$12kLowest 9% below U.S.	$76,758±$6kHighest 5% below U.S.
	Randolph 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	$278,700±$38kLowest 16% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,224±$107Highest 13% below U.S.	$1,172±$173Lowest 17% below U.S.
	Laconia and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,484Lowest 44% above U.S.	$4,698Highest 51% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±10.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	54.1%±17.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Laconia and Randolph 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%	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.9%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Laconia and Randolph 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	#55 of 70 in VT
School district	Laconia School District	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59
High school in town	Laconia High School	Randolph Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Highest	9.4Lowest
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.