What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lee has the most people working from home (27.6%).

Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Lee	Laconia
People
Population	4,576Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.9±1.9Lowest about the NH average	45.3±3.9Highest 5% above NH
	Laconia and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.9%±5.6Highest NH: 18.2%	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Lee and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±6.8Lowest NH: 20.1%	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Lee and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$131,579±$54kHighest 33% above NH	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH
	Lee and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$480,600±$61kHighest 19% above NH	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,224±$107 18% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,661Highest 45% above NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.3%±53.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.8%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest about the NH average	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	27.6%±8.8Highest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#3 of 120 in NH	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Oyster River Coop School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	None in town	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	10 photos →	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.