What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).

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	Stoddard	Thornton
People
Population	1,072Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53±4Highest 22% above NH	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% above NH
	Stoddard and Thornton 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%	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Stoddard and Thornton 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%	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Stoddard and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Stoddard 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	$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below NH
	Stoddard and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$330,300±$20kLowest 18% below NH	$351,900±$20kHighest 13% below NH
	Thornton and Stoddard 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	$1,270±$428Highest 15% below NH
	Thornton 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	$5,032Highest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Stoddard 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%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 25% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	9.5%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Stoddard School District	Thornton 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.