What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stratham has the most people working from home (25.3%).

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	Stratham
People
Population	4,306Lowest	7,754Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.3±2.1Highest 7% above NH	41.6±4.9Lowest 4% below NH
	Strafford and Stratham 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%	23.5%±5.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Stratham and Strafford 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%	20.6%±3.6Highest NH: 20.1%
	Stratham 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%	69.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	3.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Strafford and Stratham 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	$151,998±$20kHighest 53% above NH
	Stratham 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	$655,400±$36kHighest 63% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,635±$246Lowest 10% above NH	$2,511±$377Highest 68% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,086Lowest 9% below NH	$9,781Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	76.3%±30.3Highest NH: 48.2%	64%±38.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Strafford and Stratham 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%Highest NH: 72.8%	92.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 34% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	15.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	25.3%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Stratham 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	#43 of 120 in NH
School district	Strafford School District	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Stratham 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.