What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Litchfield has the highest household income ($162k).

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	Litchfield
People
Population	3,216Lowest	8,499Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.5±6.9Highest 5% above NH	43.1±1.7Lowest about the NH average
	Lancaster and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±6.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.6%±3.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Litchfield and Lancaster 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%	14.9%±2.4Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%	4.4%±1.6Highest NH: 6%
	Litchfield and Lancaster 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	$162,036±$11kHighest 64% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH	$485,000±$18kHighest 20% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH	$2,138±$406Highest 43% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH	$8,273Highest 24% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.1%±17Lowest NH: 48.2%	81.5%±38.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Litchfield and Lancaster 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%	1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	86.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below NH	29 minHighest 9% above NH
Work from home	11.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	21%±5.1Highest NH: 16.8%
	Litchfield 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	#53 of 120 in NH
School district	White Mountains Regional School District	Litchfield School District
High school in town	None in town	Campbell High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.4
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.