What stands out worked out from the figures below

South Hooksett has the highest household income ($130k).

Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).

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	South Hooksett	Thornton
People
Population	5,902Highest	2,799Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	35.2±3.6Lowest 19% below NH	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.9Highest NH: 18.2%	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	South Hooksett and Thornton 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%	19%±4.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Thornton and South Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.3%±0.8Highest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,000±$15kHighest 31% above NH	$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$40kHighest 8% above NH	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,471±$217Highest about the NH average	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH
	South Hooksett and Thornton 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	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.1%±25Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and South Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the NH average	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	7.1%±2.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Thornton School District
High school in town	—	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.