What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strafford has the highest household income ($122k).

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

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	Effingham
People
Population	4,306Highest	1,912Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.3±2.1Lowest 7% above NH	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH
	Effingham and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.5%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Effingham and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1%	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Strafford and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,105±$22kHighest 23% above NH	$76,607±$14kLowest 23% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,900±$29kHighest 6% above NH	$322,700±$30kLowest 20% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,635±$246Highest 10% above NH	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,086Highest 9% below NH	$5,163Lowest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	76.3%±30.3Highest NH: 48.2%	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Strafford and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1982Lowest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 34% above NH	32 minLowest 18% above NH
Work from home	15.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham 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	—
School district	Strafford School District	Governor Wentworth 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.