What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the most affordable homes ($389k median).

Gilford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Madison	Gilford
People
Population	2,680Lowest	7,830Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50.3±9.7Highest 16% above NH	48.2±3.9Lowest 11% above NH
	Madison and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±6.7Highest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Madison and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.1%±5.2Highest NH: 20.1%	21.8%±3.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Madison and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	45.4%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	2.3%±1.2Highest NH: 6%
	Gilford and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,697±$11kLowest 4% above NH	$116,635±$11kHighest 18% above NH
	Gilford and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,700±$36kLowest 3% below NH	$456,500±$56kHighest 13% above NH
	Gilford and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,556±$256Highest 4% above NH	$1,150±$747Lowest 23% below NH
	Madison and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,074Lowest 39% below NH	$4,868Highest 27% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.2%±46Highest NH: 48.2%	62.2%±8.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Madison and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	6.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	93.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 3 yrs newer than NH	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 17% below NH	22 minLowest 18% below NH
Work from home	8%±4.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.9%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Gilford and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#45 of 120 in NH
School district	Madison School District	Gilford School District
High school in town	None in town	Gilford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.5
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.