What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the most kids (20.9% under 18).

Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).

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	Thornton
People
Population	786Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51±10.4Lowest 18% above NH	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH
	Thornton and Monroe 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%	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Monroe and Thornton 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%	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Monroe and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,150±$7kLowest 11% below NH	$90,022±$17kHighest 9% below NH
	Thornton and Monroe 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	$351,900±$20kHighest 13% below NH
	Thornton and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$218Lowest 26% below NH	$1,270±$428Highest 15% below NH
	Thornton and Monroe 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	$5,032Highest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±39Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Monroe 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%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	3.2%±2.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Monroe School District	Thornton 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.