What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stoddard has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.5%).

New Castle has the most expensive homes ($1701k 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	Stoddard	New Castle
People
Population	1,072Highest	827Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	+3.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53±4Lowest 22% above NH	62.8±6Highest 45% above NH
	New Castle and Stoddard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%	12.9%±7.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Stoddard and New Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	44.3%±16.1Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	68.8%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.7Highest NH: 6%	0.6%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Stoddard and New Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,904±$11kLowest 4% below NH	$176,953±$29kHighest 79% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$330,300±$20kLowest 18% below NH	$1,701,300±$267kHighest 323% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$895±$751Lowest 40% below NH	$3,501Highest 135% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,316Lowest 35% below NH	$8,509Highest 28% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±85.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Stoddard and New Castle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	93%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 25% above NH	33 minLowest 22% above NH
Work from home	9.5%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%	40.1%±19.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Stoddard School District	New Castle School District
High school in town	None 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.