What stands out worked out from the figures below

South Hooksett has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.7%).

Lancaster has the most people working from home (11.5%).

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	South Hooksett	Lancaster
People
Population	5,902Highest	3,216Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	35.2±3.6Lowest 19% below NH	45.5±6.9Highest 5% above NH
	Lancaster and South Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.9%±6.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lancaster and South Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.5%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.4%±5.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.3%±0.8Highest NH: 6%	2.9%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,000±$15kHighest 31% above NH	$68,911±$23kLowest 30% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$40kHighest 8% above NH	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,471±$217Highest about the NH average	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH
	South Hooksett and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,801Highest about the NH average	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.1%±25 NH: 48.2%	36.1%±17 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	16.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	75.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the NH average	23 minLowest 14% below NH
Work from home	7.1%±2.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	11.5%±6.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Lancaster and South Hooksett 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	—	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	—	White Mountains Regional School District
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.