What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Milton
People
Population	3,216Lowest	10,769Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.5±6.9Highest 17% above U.S.	41.6±2.5Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±6.1Highest U.S.: 22%	17.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Milton 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 15% below U.S.	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,700±$24kLowest 35% below U.S.	$372,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,019±$263Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,536±$257Highest 9% above U.S.
	Milton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,226Lowest 35% above U.S.	$5,610Highest 80% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.1%±17Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.1%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Milton 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 U.S.: 12.5%	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 38 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	11.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Milton 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	#56 of 70 in VT
School district	White Mountains Regional School District	Milton School District
High school in town	None in town	Milton Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.3
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.