What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Strafford has the most expensive homes ($431k 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	Stark	Strafford
People
Population	419Lowest	1,372Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-14%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	58.8±3.6Highest 51% above U.S.	51.4±4.7Lowest 32% above U.S.
	Stark and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Strafford and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stark and Strafford 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 U.S.: 35.7%	53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Strafford 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±$23kLowest 11% below U.S.	$110,833±$19kHighest 37% above U.S.
	Strafford and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$197,700±$34kLowest 41% below U.S.	$431,300±$40kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,125±$789 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,636Lowest 15% below U.S.	$7,149Highest 129% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±48Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stark and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	13.9%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Strafford and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stark School District	Strafford School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.