What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rockingham has the most affordable homes ($211k median).

Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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	Rockingham	Thornton
People
Population	4,807Highest	2,799Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±2.6Lowest 19% above U.S.	51.1±3.4Highest 31% above U.S.
	Thornton and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	13.9%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Rockingham and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.8%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Rockingham and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,857±$16kLowest 12% below U.S.	$90,022±$17kHighest 12% above U.S.
	Thornton and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,900±$14kLowest 37% below U.S.	$351,900±$20kHighest 6% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,062±$101Lowest 25% below U.S.	$1,270±$428Highest 10% below U.S.
	Thornton and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,887Lowest 57% above U.S.	$5,032Highest 61% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±13.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.7%±24.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thornton and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	17.9%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.8%±9.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thornton and Rockingham 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	#65 of 70 in VT	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Rockingham School District	Thornton School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.