What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratford has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Danbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.4%).

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	Stratford	Danbury
People
Population	950Lowest	1,451Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-11.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.8±16.8Highest 15% above NH	47.4±5.8Lowest 9% above NH
	Stratford and Danbury 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%	17.2%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Stratford and Danbury 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%	23.7%±5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Stratford and Danbury 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%	17.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.7Highest NH: 6%	2.3%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Stratford and Danbury 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	$71,685±$11kHighest 28% below NH
	Danbury 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	$240,700±$35kHighest 40% below NH
	Danbury 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	$1,281±$390Highest 14% below NH
	Danbury 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	$3,760Highest 44% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±53.6Highest NH: 48.2%	31.4%±36.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Stratford and Danbury 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%	12.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 16% below NH	36 minHighest 35% above NH
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	15.1%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Danbury and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stratford School District	Newfound Area 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.