What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thornton has the most affordable homes ($352k median).

Hampton Falls has the most expensive homes ($773k 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	Hampton Falls
People
Population	2,799Highest	2,328Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+7.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH	49.5±7.3Lowest 14% above NH
	Thornton and Hampton Falls 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%	19.1%±5.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Hampton Falls 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%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 20.1%
	Hampton Falls and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	54.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	3.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Hampton Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below NH	$166,157±$14kHighest 68% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH	$772,600±$76kHighest 92% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH	$1,852±$475Highest 24% above NH
	Hampton Falls 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	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%	27.2%±22.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Hampton Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	86.3%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 minLowest 15% below NH	32 minHighest 21% above NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	21.8%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Thornton and Hampton Falls 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	Hampton Falls 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.