What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Henniker has grown the fastest since 2010 (+27.9%).

Henniker is a college town. 27% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Henniker
People
Population	827Lowest	6,197Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+27.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	62.8±6Highest 45% above NH	31.1±6.1Lowest 28% below NH
Kids under 18	12.9%±7.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	15.3%±3.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Henniker 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%	16.5%±6Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	68.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	41.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%	27%±6.5Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$176,953±$29kHighest 79% above NH	$95,206±$21kLowest 4% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,701,300±$267kHighest 323% above NH	$356,700±$49kLowest 11% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,501Highest 135% above NH	$1,081±$164Lowest 27% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,509Lowest 28% above NH	$8,877Highest 33% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±85.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	43.5%±22.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Henniker 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%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 4 yrs older than NH	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 22% above NH	20 minLowest 24% below NH
Work from home	40.1%±19.4Highest NH: 16.8%	15.5%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	New Castle and Henniker 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	—	#56 of 120 in NH
School district	New Castle School District	Henniker 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.