What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyme has the most people working from home (27.2%).

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($289k 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	Lyme	Northfield
People
Population	1,710Lowest	4,971Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.6±7.8Highest 12% above NH	42.6±5.1Lowest about the NH average
	Lyme and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.3%±4.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Northfield and Lyme 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%	17.2%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	23.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.9Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Northfield and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH	$92,917±$15kLowest 6% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH	$288,500±$33kLowest 28% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,418±$130Highest 5% below NH	$1,076±$182Lowest 28% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$5,097Lowest 24% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%	24.1%±14.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme and Northfield 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%	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1979Highest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below NH	26 minHighest 4% below NH
Work from home	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%	6.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#109 of 120 in NH
School district	Lyme School District	Winnisquam Regional 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.