What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strafford has the most affordable homes ($428k median).

Newfields has the highest household income ($198k).

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	Newfields
People
Population	4,306Highest	2,023Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.3±2.1Highest 7% above NH	44.1±1.8Lowest about the NH average
	Strafford and Newfields 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%	18.9%±1.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Newfields 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%	13.6%±0.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	68.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	7.5%±7.2Highest NH: 6%
	Newfields 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	$197,885±$15kHighest 100% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,900±$29kLowest 6% above NH	$646,400±$34kHighest 61% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,635±$246Lowest 10% above NH	$1,875±$323Highest 26% above NH
	Newfields and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,086Lowest 9% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	76.3%±30.3Highest NH: 48.2%	43.3%±40.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Strafford and Newfields 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%	2.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 34% above NH	26 minLowest 4% below NH
Work from home	15.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	25.5%±3.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#73 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Strafford School District	Newfields 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.