What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marlborough has the most affordable homes ($267k median).

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

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	Marlborough	Madbury
People
Population	2,207Highest	2,203Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8.3%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46±9.2Highest 6% above NH	37.7±2.1Lowest 13% below NH
	Marlborough and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.5%±5.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	29%±5.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Madbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.7%±1.7Highest NH: 20.1%	14.3%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	52.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	3.4%±1.8Highest NH: 6%
	Madbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,032±$9kLowest 30% below NH	$148,365±$30kHighest 50% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,200±$35kLowest 34% below NH	$476,900±$31kHighest 18% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$323Lowest 24% below NH	$1,574±$759Highest 6% above NH
	Madbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,362Lowest 5% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.4%±25.3Highest NH: 48.2%	16.7%±15.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Marlborough and Madbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below NH	25 minHighest 5% below NH
Work from home	12.3%±6.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	14%±3.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Madbury and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Marlborough School District	Oyster River Coop 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.