What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratham has the most expensive homes ($655k median).

Ashland has the most affordable homes ($227k 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	Stratham	Ashland
People
Population	7,754Highest	2,183Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.6±4.9Lowest 4% below NH	42.3±11.2Highest about the NH average
	Ashland and Stratham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.5%±5.3Highest NH: 18.2%	21.4%±6.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Stratham and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	25.8%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%
	Ashland and Stratham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	69.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.7Highest NH: 6%	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Stratham and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$151,998±$20kHighest 53% above NH	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$655,400±$36kHighest 63% above NH	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,511±$377Highest 68% above NH	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,781Highest 47% above NH	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±38.2Highest NH: 48.2%	39.1%±14.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Stratham and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	21.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the NH average	26 minLowest 4% below NH
Work from home	25.3%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#43 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Stratham School District	Ashland 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.