What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mont Vernon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.3%).

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($227k 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	Mont Vernon	Ashland
People
Population	2,636Highest	2,183Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.3%Highest NH: +4.6%	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.9±2.8Highest about the NH average	42.3±11.2Lowest about the NH average
	Mont Vernon and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.8Highest NH: 18.2%	21.4%±6.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Mont Vernon and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±3.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	25.8%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.8Highest NH: 6%	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Mont Vernon and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$158,036±$19kHighest 60% above NH	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$526,300±$39kHighest 31% above NH	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$185Highest 26% below NH	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH
	Mont Vernon and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,432Highest 41% above NH	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±80.8Highest NH: 48.2%	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Mont Vernon and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	21.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978 1 yr older than NH	1978 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above NH	26 minLowest 4% below NH
Work from home	26.6%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#4 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Mont Vernon School District	Ashland 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.