What stands out worked out from the figures below

Troy has the most affordable homes ($267k median).

Barnstead has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7%).

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	Troy	Barnstead
People
Population	2,005Lowest	4,994Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	40.2±5Lowest 7% below NH	42.8±3.1Highest about the NH average
	Barnstead and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%	21%±5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Troy and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.6%±3.4Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.6%±4.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Barnstead and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	30.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.4Lowest NH: 6%	5.9%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Barnstead and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,871±$14kLowest 10% below NH	$111,660±$12kHighest 13% above NH
	Barnstead and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$266,600±$39kLowest 34% below NH	$362,400±$25kHighest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,024±$331Lowest 31% below NH	$1,395±$75Highest 6% below NH
	Barnstead and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,229Lowest 22% below NH	$6,003Highest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.1%±27.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	47.6%±50.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Barnstead and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below NH	31 minHighest 16% above NH
Work from home	10.1%±4.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	13%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%
	Barnstead and Troy 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	—	#111 of 120 in NH
School district	Monadnock Regional School District	Barnstead School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.