What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stark has the most affordable homes ($198k median).

Alstead has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.8%).

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	Stark	Alstead
People
Population	419Lowest	1,551Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-14%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-3.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	58.8±3.6Highest 36% above NH	56±3.3Lowest 29% above NH
	Stark and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±6.9Highest NH: 18.2%	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Stark and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	27.8%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Alstead and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	28.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±4.7Highest NH: 6%	3.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%
	Stark and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,750±$23kHighest 28% below NH	$64,526±$11kLowest 35% below NH
	Stark and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$197,700±$34kLowest 51% below NH	$271,600±$37kHighest 33% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,636Lowest 60% below NH	$5,322Highest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Alstead and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 11 yrs older than NH	1973Highest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above NH	32 minLowest 19% above NH
Work from home	13.9%±6.7Highest NH: 16.8%	12.1%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Stark and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stark School District	Fall Mountain Regional School District
High school in town	None 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.