What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

Lancaster has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Madison	Lancaster
People
Population	2,680Lowest	3,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50.3±9.7Highest 16% above NH	45.5±6.9Lowest 5% above NH
	Madison and Lancaster 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%	20.9%±6.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Madison and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.1%±5.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.4%±5.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lancaster and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	2.9%±2.2Highest NH: 6%
	Lancaster 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±$11kHighest 4% above NH	$68,911±$23kLowest 30% below NH
	Madison and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,700±$36kHighest 3% below NH	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,556±$256Highest 4% above NH	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,074Lowest 39% below NH	$4,226Highest 37% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.2%±46Highest NH: 48.2%	36.1%±17Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Madison and Lancaster 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%	16.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below NH	23 minHighest 14% below NH
Work from home	8%±4.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	11.5%±6.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Lancaster 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	—	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	Madison School District	White Mountains 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.