What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Mont Vernon has the highest household income ($158k).

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	Mont Vernon
People
Population	2,799Highest	2,636Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+7.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH	42.9±2.8Lowest about the NH average
Kids under 18	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.1%±3.8Highest NH: 18.2%
	Mont Vernon and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±4.9Highest NH: 20.1%	15.6%±3.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Thornton and Mont Vernon 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%	50.8%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±2.8Highest NH: 6%
	Mont Vernon 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±$17kLowest 9% below NH	$158,036±$19kHighest 60% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH	$526,300±$39kHighest 31% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Highest 15% below NH	$1,104±$185Lowest 26% below NH
	Thornton and Mont Vernon 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	$9,432Highest 41% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%	51.4%±80.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Mont Vernon 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%	95.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	30 minHighest 12% above NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	26.6%±6.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Thornton and Mont Vernon 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	#4 of 120 in NH
School district	Thornton School District	Mont Vernon 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.