What stands out worked out from the figures below

Litchfield has the most people working from home (21%).

Townsend has the most affordable homes ($433k 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	Litchfield	Townsend
People
Population	8,499Lowest	9,100Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±1.7Highest 11% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Litchfield and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	21%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Litchfield and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Townsend and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Litchfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$162,036±$11kHighest 101% above U.S.	$121,528±$23kLowest 51% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$485,000±$18kHighest 46% above U.S.	$433,200±$22kLowest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,138±$406Highest 51% above U.S.	$1,469±$313Lowest 4% above U.S.
	Litchfield and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,273Highest 165% above U.S.	$6,031Lowest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	81.5%±38.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Litchfield and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	21%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#53 of 120 in NH	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Litchfield School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Campbell High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	13.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.