What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratford has the most people working from home (8.4%).

Dalton has the highest household income ($81k).

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	Stratford	Dalton
People
Population	950Highest	916Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-11.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-4.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.8±16.8Highest 15% above NH	44.5±12.9Lowest about the NH average
	Stratford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±7.6Highest NH: 18.2%	20.6%±11.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Stratford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±9.3Highest NH: 20.1%	17.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Stratford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	20.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.7Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±4.3Highest NH: 6%
	Dalton and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,583±$14kLowest 50% below NH	$81,429±$36kHighest 18% below NH
	Dalton and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,100±$48kLowest 60% below NH	$191,400±$68kHighest 52% below NH
	Dalton and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$264Lowest 48% below NH	$900±$825Highest 40% below NH
	Dalton and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,512Lowest 62% below NH	$3,561Highest 47% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±53.6Highest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±83.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Stratford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	19.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 16% below NH	20 minLowest 26% below NH
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Highest NH: 16.8%	5.9%±2.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Stratford and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stratford School District	—
High school 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.