What stands out worked out from the figures below

Raymond has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.4%).

Townsend has the most expensive homes ($433k 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	Raymond	Townsend
People
Population	10,900Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.4±3.8Highest 12% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Raymond and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Raymond and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,597±$10kLowest 30% above U.S.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
	Townsend and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$370,400±$17kLowest 11% above U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,376±$196Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,146Highest 97% above U.S.	$6,031Lowest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.1%±11.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 13% above U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	9.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Townsend and Raymond 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	#96 of 120 in NH	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Raymond School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Raymond High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	13.1Highest
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.