What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orford has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Canterbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.6%).

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	Orford	Canterbury
People
Population	1,295Lowest	2,353Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH	48.6±3.8Lowest 12% above NH
	Orford and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	17.4%±4.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Canterbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	22.9%±3.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Orford and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44%Lowest NH: 40.6%	49.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	6.8%±3Highest NH: 6%
	Canterbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,571±$24kLowest 7% below NH	$129,333±$37kHighest 31% above NH
	Canterbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kLowest 32% below NH	$443,700±$21kHighest 10% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH	$2,136±$233Highest 43% above NH
	Canterbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Lowest 12% below NH	$7,421Highest 11% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	71.7%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Canterbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	5.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	33 minHighest 22% above NH
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	21.6%±7.4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Canterbury and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Shaker Regional School District
High school in town	Rivendell Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
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.