What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyme has the most expensive homes ($645k median).

Henniker has grown the fastest since 2010 (+27.9%).

Henniker is a college town. 27% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Lyme	Henniker
People
Population	1,710Lowest	6,197Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+27.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.6±7.8Highest 12% above NH	31.1±6.1Lowest 28% below NH
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%	15.3%±3.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Lyme and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%	16.5%±6Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	41.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.9Lowest NH: 6%	27%±6.5Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH	$95,206±$21kLowest 4% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH	$356,700±$49kLowest 11% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,418±$130Highest 5% below NH	$1,081±$164Lowest 27% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$8,877Lowest 33% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%	43.5%±22.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme and Henniker 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%	11.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 22% below NH	20 minLowest 24% below NH
Work from home	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%	15.5%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#56 of 120 in NH
School district	Lyme School District	Henniker 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.