What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pittsfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.8%).

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($227k 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	Pittsfield	Ashland
People
Population	4,105Highest	2,183Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.5±5.1Lowest 4% below NH	42.3±11.2Highest about the NH average
	Ashland and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±6Lowest NH: 18.2%	21.4%±6.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Ashland and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±4.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	25.8%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%
	Ashland and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	35.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.1Highest NH: 6%	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Pittsfield and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,318±$14kHighest 25% below NH	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH
	Pittsfield and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$294,800±$30kHighest 27% below NH	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,239±$182Highest 17% below NH	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH
	Pittsfield and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,694Highest 15% below NH	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.5%±27.3Highest NH: 48.2%	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Pittsfield and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	21.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.8%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	26 minLowest 4% below NH
Work from home	11.6%±5Highest NH: 16.8%	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Pittsfield and Ashland 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	#93 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Pittsfield School District	Ashland School District
High school in town	Pittsfield High School	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.