What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stark has the most people working from home (13.9%).

Columbia has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Columbia
People
Population	419Lowest	683Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-14%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-12.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	58.8±3.6Highest 36% above NH	51.8±10.1Lowest 20% above NH
	Stark and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±6.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	17.4%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Columbia and Stark 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%	29.9%±8.3Highest NH: 20.1%
	Columbia 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%Highest NH: 40.6%	14.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±4.7Lowest NH: 6%	7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%
	Columbia and Stark 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	$57,917±$13kLowest 42% below NH
	Stark and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$197,700±$34kHighest 51% below NH	$196,400±$29kLowest 51% below NH
	Stark and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$792±$333 47% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,636Highest 60% below NH	$2,009Lowest 70% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	9.1%±95.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Stark and Columbia 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%	10.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	91.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 11 yrs older than NH	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above NH	20 minLowest 24% below NH
Work from home	13.9%±6.7Highest NH: 16.8%	11.2%±6.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Stark and Columbia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stark 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.