What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northbridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4%).

Jaffrey has the most affordable homes ($246k 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	Northbridge	Jaffrey
People
Population	16,458Highest	5,448Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Highest 13% above U.S.	42.9±3.9Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Jaffrey and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Jaffrey and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	31.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Northbridge and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,319±$19kHighest 38% above U.S.	$92,330±$18kLowest 14% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.	$245,500±$27kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Highest 15% below U.S.	$962±$202Lowest 32% below U.S.
	Northbridge and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.	$6,196Highest 99% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	45.7%±23Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northbridge and Jaffrey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973 7 yrs older than U.S.	1973 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#226 of 282 in MA	#87 of 120 in NH
School district	Northbridge	Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District
High school in town	Northbridge High	Conant Middle High School (H)
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	21.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.