What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stoddard has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.5%).

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	Stoddard
People
Population	827Lowest	1,072Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+11.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	62.8±6Highest 45% above NH	53±4Lowest 22% above NH
	New Castle and Stoddard 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%	17.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Stoddard 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%	24.4%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	68.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	34.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%	3.5%±1.7Highest NH: 6%
	Stoddard 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	$94,904±$11kLowest 4% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,701,300±$267kHighest 323% above NH	$330,300±$20kLowest 18% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,501Highest 135% above NH	$895±$751Lowest 40% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,509Highest 28% above NH	$4,316Lowest 35% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±85.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	52.6%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Stoddard 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%	4.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 22% above NH	34 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	40.1%±19.4Highest NH: 16.8%	9.5%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	New Castle School District	Stoddard 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.