What stands out worked out from the figures below

Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Raymond has grown the fastest since 2010 (+30.9%).

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	Raymond
People
Population	17,085Highest	3,645Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+30.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH	47.7±13.3Highest 10% above NH
	Raymond and Laconia 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%	16.6%±7.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Laconia and Raymond 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%	25.2%±6.4Highest NH: 20.1%
	Raymond 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%Highest NH: 40.6%	24.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	6.9%±4.2Highest NH: 6%
	Raymond 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±$12kHighest 26% below NH	$73,066±$8kLowest 26% below NH
	Laconia and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$340,300±$16kHighest 15% below NH	$314,900±$34kLowest 22% below NH
	Laconia and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,224±$107Highest 18% below NH	$994±$450Lowest 33% below NH
	Laconia and Raymond 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	$5,113Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%	27.6%±13.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	75%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below NH	31 minHighest 14% above NH
Work from home	13.5%±3.8Highest NH: 16.8%	12.8%±5.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Laconia and Raymond 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	#96 of 120 in NH
School district	Laconia School District	—
High school in town	Laconia High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0	—
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.