What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most people working from home (16.7%).

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($191k 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	Springfield	Dalton
People
Population	1,122Highest	916Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-4.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.4±8.8Highest 19% above NH	44.5±12.9Lowest about the NH average
	Springfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±8Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±11.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Dalton and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±1.6Highest NH: 20.1%	17.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Springfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±1.5Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±4.3Highest NH: 6%
	Dalton and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,893±$19kHighest about the NH average	$81,429±$36kLowest 18% below NH
	Springfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$384,100±$50kHighest 5% below NH	$191,400±$68kLowest 52% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$217Highest 26% below NH	$900±$825Lowest 40% below NH
	Springfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,946Highest 11% below NH	$3,561Lowest 47% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.9%±64.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±83.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Dalton and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	19.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985 6 yrs newer than NH	1985 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above NH	20 minLowest 26% below NH
Work from home	16.7%±11.6Highest NH: 16.8%	5.9%±2.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Springfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.