What stands out worked out from the figures below

Topsfield has the most people working from home (29.4%).

Hooksett has the most affordable homes ($407k 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	Topsfield	Hooksett
People
Population	6,564Lowest	15,057Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±1.8Highest 8% above U.S.	41.3±1.5Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Topsfield and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.8%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	17.4%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Topsfield and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.3%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Topsfield and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	71.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	39.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.9%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$195,718±$16kHighest 142% above U.S.	$117,962±$11kLowest 46% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$853,400±$40kHighest 157% above U.S.	$407,000±$26kLowest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,115±$538Lowest 21% below U.S.	$1,661±$206Highest 18% above U.S.
	Hooksett and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$6,554Lowest 110% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.9%±40.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.7%±16.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Topsfield and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	29.4%±8.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#172 of 282 in MA	#30 of 120 in NH
School district	Topsfield	Hooksett School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.