What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).

Loudon has the most kids (16.8% under 18).

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	Loudon
People
Population	2,799Lowest	5,692Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+4.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH	49.5±3.2Lowest 14% above NH
	Thornton and Loudon 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%	16.8%±4.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Loudon 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%	22%±4.4Highest NH: 20.1%
	Loudon 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%	29.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	1.4%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Loudon 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	$106,966±$16kHighest 8% above NH
	Loudon 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	$363,400±$48kHighest 10% below NH
	Loudon and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH	$1,321±$465Highest 11% below NH
	Loudon 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	$5,821Highest 13% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%	45.5%±30.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Loudon 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%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	89.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH	1988Highest 9 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	30 minHighest 14% above NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	8.9%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 120 in NH	#99 of 120 in NH
School district	Thornton School District	Merrimack Valley 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.