What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lancaster has the most affordable homes ($216k median).

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

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	Lancaster	Effingham
People
Population	3,216Highest	1,912Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.5±6.9Lowest 5% above NH	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH
	Effingham and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±6.1Highest NH: 18.2%	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Lancaster and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.4%±5.8Highest NH: 20.1%	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.2Highest NH: 6%	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Lancaster and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,911±$23kLowest 30% below NH	$76,607±$14kHighest 23% below NH
	Effingham and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH	$322,700±$30kHighest 20% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH	$1,090±$121Highest 27% below NH
	Effingham and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH	$5,163Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.1%±17Highest NH: 48.2%	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Lancaster and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below NH	32 minHighest 18% above NH
Work from home	11.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham and Lancaster 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	#107 of 120 in NH	—
School district	White Mountains Regional School District	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.