What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ossipee has the most kids (19.5% 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	Ossipee
People
Population	2,799Lowest	4,521Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH	50±4.6Lowest 15% above NH
	Thornton and Ossipee 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%	19.5%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Ossipee 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%	26.3%±5.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Ossipee 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%	24.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	2.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Ossipee 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	$90,521±$22kHighest 9% below NH
	Ossipee 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±$20kHighest 13% below NH	$325,500±$23kLowest 19% below NH
	Thornton and Ossipee 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	$1,601±$245Highest 7% above NH
	Ossipee and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,032Highest 25% below NH	$4,401Lowest 34% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	72%±16.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Ossipee and Thornton 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%	8.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	82%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH	1979Lowest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	5.3%±3.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 120 in NH	#100 of 120 in NH
School district	Thornton School District	Governor Wentworth Regional 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.