What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratford has the most affordable homes ($161k median).

Dummer has the highest household income ($91k).

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	Dummer
People
Population	950Highest	299Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-11.3% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	49.8±16.8Lowest 15% above NH	53.6±6.4Highest 24% above NH
	Dummer and Stratford 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%	19.4%±5.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Stratford and Dummer 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%	21.4%±4.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Stratford and Dummer 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%	16.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.7Highest NH: 6%	0%±5.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Stratford and Dummer 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	$91,250±$21kHighest 8% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,100±$48kLowest 60% below NH	$242,200±$51kHighest 40% below NH
	Dummer and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$264 48% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,512Lowest 62% below NH	$2,898Highest 57% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±53.6Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Stratford and Dummer 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%	9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	94.2%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	25 minHighest 6% below NH
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Highest NH: 16.8%	6.8%±4.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Stratford and Dummer 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.