What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

Fairlee has the most affordable homes ($274k 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	Thornton	Fairlee
People
Population	2,799Highest	1,066Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.1±3.4Lowest 31% above U.S.	56.2±8.7Highest 44% above U.S.
	Fairlee and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	12.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Thornton and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fairlee and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,022±$17kHighest 12% above U.S.	$74,760±$10kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Thornton and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$351,900±$20kHighest 6% above U.S.	$274,200±$39kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Highest 10% below U.S.	$1,083±$242Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Thornton and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,032Lowest 61% above U.S.	$5,617Highest 80% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	89.2%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairlee and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thornton and Fairlee 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	#18 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Thornton School District	Rivendell Interstate School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.