What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the highest household income ($88k).

Effingham has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Monroe	Effingham
People
Population	786Lowest	1,912Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51±10.4Highest 18% above NH	46.9±12.4Lowest 8% above NH
	Monroe and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±7.6Highest NH: 18.2%	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Monroe and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.3%±8.9Highest NH: 20.1%	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.8 NH: 6%	1.1%±0.8 NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,150±$7kHighest 11% below NH	$76,607±$14kLowest 23% below NH
	Monroe and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$312,700±$58kLowest 22% below NH	$322,700±$30kHighest 20% below NH
	Effingham and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$218Highest 26% below NH	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH
	Monroe and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,661Lowest 60% below NH	$5,163Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±39Highest NH: 48.2%	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Monroe and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the NH average	32 minHighest 18% above NH
Work from home	3.2%±2.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Monroe School District	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.