What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peterborough has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

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	Peterborough	Kingston
People
Population	6,408Highest	6,275Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	52.1±1.9Lowest 20% above NH	55.5±5.7Highest 28% above NH
	Kingston and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%	13.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Peterborough and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.6%±5.2Highest NH: 20.1%	24.7%±6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Peterborough and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	3.6%±2.1Highest NH: 6%
	Kingston and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,401±$8kLowest about the NH average	$105,330±$12kHighest 6% above NH
	Kingston and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$31kLowest about the NH average	$492,900±$58kHighest 22% above NH
	Kingston and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$209Highest 6% below NH	$1,393±$156Lowest 7% below NH
	Peterborough and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,655Highest 30% above NH	$7,906Lowest 19% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±7.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	46.9%±46.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Kingston and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	74.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 9 yrs older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 16% below NH	34 minHighest 27% above NH
Work from home	15.8%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%	15.7%±4.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Peterborough and Kingston 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	#59 of 120 in NH	#78 of 120 in NH
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Sanborn Regional School District
High school in town	Conval Regional High School	Sanborn Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Lowest	12.9Highest
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.