What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.7%).

Nelson has the most people working from home (31.5%).

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	Newton	Nelson
People
Population	4,836Highest	648Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-13.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.8±5.7Highest 10% above NH	42.3±11.7Lowest about the NH average
	Newton and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±4.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	27.5%±6.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Nelson and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.8%±2Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	61.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.5Highest NH: 6%	0.9%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Newton and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,487±$29kHighest 40% above NH	$99,792±$23kLowest about the NH average
	Newton and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$459,500±$18kHighest 14% above NH	$340,900±$49kLowest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,683±$96Highest 13% above NH	$1,203±$243Lowest 19% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,124Highest 22% above NH	$5,575Lowest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62%±41.8Highest NH: 48.2%	40%±68.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Newton and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above NH	24 minLowest 9% below NH
Work from home	18.1%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%	31.5%±8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#70 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Sanborn Regional School District	Nelson 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.