What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strafford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($289k 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	Strafford	Northfield
People
Population	4,306Lowest	4,971Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.3±2.1Highest 7% above NH	42.6±5.1Lowest about the NH average
	Strafford and Northfield 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%	20.3%±4.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Northfield 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%	17.2%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Strafford and Northfield 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%	23.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	5.1%±2.5Lowest NH: 6%
	Strafford and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,105±$22kHighest 23% above NH	$92,917±$15kLowest 6% below NH
	Strafford and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,900±$29kHighest 6% above NH	$288,500±$33kLowest 28% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,635±$246Highest 10% above NH	$1,076±$182Lowest 28% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,086Highest 9% below NH	$5,097Lowest 24% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	76.3%±30.3Highest NH: 48.2%	24.1%±14.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1979Lowest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 34% above NH	26 minLowest 4% below NH
Work from home	15.9%±5Highest NH: 16.8%	6.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#73 of 120 in NH	#109 of 120 in NH
School district	Strafford School District	Winnisquam 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.