What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stoddard has the highest household income ($95k).

Effingham has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Stoddard	Effingham
People
Population	1,072Lowest	1,912Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53±4Highest 22% above NH	46.9±12.4Lowest 8% above NH
	Stoddard and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.5%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Effingham and Stoddard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.7Highest NH: 6%	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Stoddard and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,904±$11kHighest 4% below NH	$76,607±$14kLowest 23% below NH
	Stoddard and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$330,300±$20kHighest 18% below NH	$322,700±$30kLowest 20% below NH
	Stoddard and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$895±$751Lowest 40% below NH	$1,090±$121Highest 27% below NH
	Effingham and Stoddard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,316Lowest 35% below NH	$5,163Highest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Stoddard and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 25% above NH	32 minLowest 18% above NH
Work from home	9.5%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham and Stoddard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stoddard School District	Governor Wentworth 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.