What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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	Madison	Northfield
People
Population	2,680Lowest	4,971Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	+0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50.3±9.7Highest 16% above NH	42.6±5.1Lowest about the NH average
	Madison and Northfield 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%	20.3%±4.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Madison and Northfield 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%	17.2%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Madison and Northfield 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%	23.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Northfield 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	$92,917±$15kLowest 6% below NH
	Madison and Northfield 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	$288,500±$33kLowest 28% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,556±$256Highest 4% above NH	$1,076±$182Lowest 28% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,074Lowest 39% below NH	$5,097Highest 24% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.2%±46Highest NH: 48.2%	24.1%±14.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Madison and Northfield 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%	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1979Lowest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below NH	26 minHighest 4% below NH
Work from home	8%±4.4Highest NH: 16.8%	6.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Madison and Northfield 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	—	#109 of 120 in NH
School district	Madison 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.