What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.3%).

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($227k 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	Madbury	Ashland
People
Population	2,203Highest	2,183Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	37.7±2.1Lowest 13% below NH	42.3±11.2Highest about the NH average
	Ashland and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	29%±5.9Highest NH: 18.2%	21.4%±6.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Madbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	25.8%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.8Highest NH: 6%	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Madbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$148,365±$30kHighest 50% above NH	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$476,900±$31kHighest 18% above NH	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,574±$759Highest 6% above NH	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH
	Madbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	16.7%±15.2Lowest NH: 48.2%	39.1%±14.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Ashland and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	21.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below NH	26 minHighest 4% below NH
Work from home	14%±3.6Highest NH: 16.8%	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Madbury and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Oyster River Coop School District	Ashland 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.