What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has the most expensive homes ($645k 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	Lancaster	Lyme
People
Population	3,216Highest	1,710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	45.5±6.9Lowest 5% above NH	48.6±7.8Highest 12% above NH
	Lyme 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%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Lancaster and Lyme 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%	26.5%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Lancaster and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Lyme 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	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH	$1,418±$130Highest 5% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.1%±17Lowest NH: 48.2%	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme 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%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	80.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below NH	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	11.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#107 of 120 in NH	—
School district	White Mountains Regional School District	Lyme School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.