What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lempster has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

Cornish has the most people working from home (12%).

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	Lempster	Cornish
People
Population	953Lowest	1,816Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-1.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50.8±7.2Lowest 17% above NH	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH
	Cornish and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	14.4%±3.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Cornish and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.4%±3.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	27.3%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1%
	Cornish and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	40.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,607±$12kLowest 13% below NH	$91,821±$2kHighest 7% below NH
	Cornish and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$241,900±$29kLowest 40% below NH	$296,000±$69kHighest 26% below NH
	Cornish and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,221±$227 18% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,558Lowest 32% below NH	$5,796Highest 13% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Lempster and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	94.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above NH	24 minLowest 9% below NH
Work from home	5%±2.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	12%±4.1Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Lempster School District	Cornish 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.