What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Kingston has the most expensive homes ($493k 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	Kingston
People
Population	2,799Lowest	6,275Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% above NH	55.5±5.7Highest 28% above NH
	Kingston 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 NH: 18.2%	13.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Thornton and Kingston 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%	24.7%±6Highest NH: 20.1%
	Kingston 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%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	3.6%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Kingston 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	$105,330±$12kHighest 6% above NH
	Kingston and Thornton 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	$492,900±$58kHighest 22% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH	$1,393±$156Highest 7% below NH
	Kingston 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	$7,906Highest 19% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%	46.9%±46.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Kingston 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%	2.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.4%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH	1982Lowest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	34 minHighest 27% above NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	15.7%±4.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 120 in NH	#78 of 120 in NH
School district	Thornton School District	Sanborn Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	Sanborn Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.9
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.