What stands out worked out from the figures below

New Castle has the most expensive homes ($1701k median).

Atkinson has the most affordable homes ($555k 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	New Castle	Atkinson
People
Population	827Lowest	7,267Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	62.8±6Highest 45% above NH	57.1±2.8Lowest 32% above NH
	New Castle and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.9%±7.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	14.1%±3.8Highest NH: 18.2%
	Atkinson and New Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	44.3%±16.1Highest NH: 20.1%	27.4%±5.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	New Castle and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	68.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	42.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%	5.8%±4Highest NH: 6%
	Atkinson and New Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$176,953±$29kHighest 79% above NH	$146,380±$32kLowest 48% above NH
	New Castle and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,701,300±$267kHighest 323% above NH	$555,200±$65kLowest 38% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,501Highest 135% above NH	$1,140±$32Lowest 24% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,509Highest 28% above NH	$6,918Lowest 4% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±85.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	66.5%±39.1Highest NH: 48.2%
	Atkinson and New Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93%Highest NH: 72.8%	92.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 22% above NH	28 minLowest 6% above NH
Work from home	40.1%±19.4Highest NH: 16.8%	21.1%±6.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	New Castle and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#32 of 120 in NH
School district	New Castle School District	Timberlane Regional 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.