What stands out worked out from the figures below

Melvin Village has the most expensive homes ($428k median).

Stark has the most kids (14.1% under 18).

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	Melvin Village	Stark
People
Population	324Lowest	419Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-14% NH: +4.6%
Median age	58.4±6Lowest 35% above NH	58.8±3.6Highest 36% above NH
	Stark and Melvin Village are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	0%±10.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	14.1%±6.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Stark and Melvin Village are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±12.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	27.2%±3.6Highest NH: 20.1%
	Stark and Melvin Village are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	17.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±5.2Lowest NH: 6%	3.6%±4.7Highest NH: 6%
	Stark and Melvin Village are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,298±$82kHighest about the NH average	$71,750±$23kLowest 28% below NH
	Melvin Village and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$428,300±$352kHighest 6% above NH	$197,700±$34kLowest 51% below NH
	Melvin Village and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,616Lowest 61% below NH	$2,636Highest 60% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	66.7%±100 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	0%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest NH: 72.8%	92.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 6 yrs older than NH	1968Lowest 11 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	34 min 27% above NH
Work from home	0%±8Lowest NH: 16.8%	13.9%±6.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Stark and Melvin Village are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Stark School District
High school 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.