What stands out worked out from the figures below

Randolph has the most affordable homes ($279k median).

Laconia has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

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	Randolph	Laconia
People
Population	4,843Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.4±7.4Lowest 4% above U.S.	45.3±3.9Highest 16% above U.S.
	Laconia and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.3%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.4%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Laconia and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.8%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Randolph and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	27.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,758±$6kHighest 5% below U.S.	$73,218±$12kLowest 9% below U.S.
	Randolph and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$278,700±$38kLowest 16% below U.S.	$340,300±$16kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,172±$173Lowest 17% below U.S.	$1,224±$107Highest 13% below U.S.
	Laconia and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,698Highest 51% above U.S.	$4,484Lowest 44% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±17.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.5%±10.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Laconia and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	64.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	12.9%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Laconia and Randolph 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	#55 of 70 in VT	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	Laconia School District
High school in town	Randolph Union High School	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4Lowest	10.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.