What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($289k median).

Madison has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

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	Northfield	Madison
People
Population	4,971Highest	2,680Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.6±5.1Lowest about the NH average	50.3±9.7Highest 16% above NH
	Madison and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.3%±4.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	23.1%±6.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Madison and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.2%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	23.1%±5.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Madison and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	37.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.5Highest NH: 6%	1.9%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Northfield and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,917±$15kLowest 6% below NH	$102,697±$11kHighest 4% above NH
	Madison and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,500±$33kLowest 28% below NH	$388,700±$36kHighest 3% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,076±$182Lowest 28% below NH	$1,556±$256Highest 4% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,097Highest 24% below NH	$4,074Lowest 39% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.1%±14.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	69.2%±46Highest NH: 48.2%
	Madison and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	94.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest same as NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 4% below NH	22 minLowest 17% below NH
Work from home	6.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	8%±4.4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Madison and Northfield 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	#109 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Winnisquam Regional School District	Madison 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.