What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strafford has the most kids (17.6% under 18).

Atkinson has the most people working from home (21.1%).

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	Strafford	Atkinson
People
Population	4,306Lowest	7,267Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.3±2.1Lowest 7% above NH	57.1±2.8Highest 32% above NH
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.5Highest NH: 18.2%	14.1%±3.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Strafford and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±4.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	27.4%±5.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Atkinson and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	42.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	5.8%±4Highest NH: 6%
	Atkinson and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,105±$22kLowest 23% above NH	$146,380±$32kHighest 48% above NH
	Atkinson and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,900±$29kLowest 6% above NH	$555,200±$65kHighest 38% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,635±$246Highest 10% above NH	$1,140±$32Lowest 24% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,086Lowest 9% below NH	$6,918Highest 4% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	76.3%±30.3Highest NH: 48.2%	66.5%±39.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Strafford and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	92.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 34% above NH	28 minLowest 6% above NH
Work from home	15.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	21.1%±6.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Atkinson and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#73 of 120 in NH	#32 of 120 in NH
School district	Strafford School District	Timberlane Regional 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.