What stands out worked out from the figures below

Loudon has the most kids (16.8% under 18).

Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).

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	Loudon	Thornton
People
Population	5,692Highest	2,799Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.5±3.2Lowest 14% above NH	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH
	Thornton and Loudon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±4.2Highest NH: 18.2%	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Loudon and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±4.4Highest NH: 20.1%	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Loudon and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Loudon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,966±$16kHighest 8% above NH	$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below NH
	Loudon and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$48kHighest 10% below NH	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH
	Loudon and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,321±$465Highest 11% below NH	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH
	Loudon and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,821Highest 13% below NH	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±30.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Loudon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 9 yrs newer than NH	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	8.9%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#99 of 120 in NH	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Thornton 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.