What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Madbury has the most kids (29% 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	Madbury
People
Population	2,799Highest	2,203Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+8.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH	37.7±2.1Lowest 13% below NH
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	29%±5.9Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	19%±4.9Highest NH: 20.1%	14.3%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Thornton and Madbury 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%	52.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	3.4%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Madbury 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	$148,365±$30kHighest 50% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH	$476,900±$31kHighest 18% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH	$1,574±$759Highest 6% above NH
	Madbury 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%	16.7%±15.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984 5 yrs newer than NH	1984 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	25 minHighest 5% below NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	14%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Thornton School District	Oyster River Coop 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.