What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thornton has the most kids (13.9% under 18).

Waterville Valley has the most expensive homes ($563k 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	Waterville Valley
People
Population	2,799Highest	290Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.8% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% above NH	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH
	Waterville Valley 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%	8.6%±11.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Thornton and Waterville Valley 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%	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	0.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Thornton and Waterville Valley 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	$105,625±$50kHighest 7% above NH
	Waterville Valley 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	$562,500±$193kHighest 40% above NH
	Waterville Valley and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,270±$428Highest 15% below NH	$1,150±$382Lowest 23% below NH
	Thornton and Waterville Valley 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	$5,745Highest 14% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%	33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Waterville Valley 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%	6.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	81.5%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 minHighest 15% below NH	14 minLowest 48% below NH
Work from home	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%	19.7%±12.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Thornton and Waterville Valley 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	—
School district	Thornton School District	Waterville 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.