What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Franconia has the most expensive homes ($530k 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	Franconia
People
Population	2,799Highest	1,060Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	-1.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% above NH	55.6±7Highest 28% above NH
	Franconia and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	15.2%±5.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Franconia and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	36.6%±6.7Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	57.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Lowest NH: 6%	5%±5.4Highest NH: 6%
	Franconia 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 9% below NH	$87,292±$28kLowest 12% below NH
	Thornton and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH	$530,300±$96kHighest 32% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH	$1,281±$278Highest 14% below NH
	Franconia and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH	$7,451Highest 12% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	73.2%±74.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Franconia 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 NH: 7.2%	11.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	83.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH	1981Lowest 2 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 15% below NH	20 minLowest 25% below NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	11.9%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Thornton School District	Lafayette Regional 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.