What stands out worked out from the figures below

Tuftonboro has the most expensive homes ($462k median).

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

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	Tuftonboro	Thornton
People
Population	2,569Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	51.9±7.5Highest 20% above NH	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% above NH
	Tuftonboro and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4.7Highest NH: 18.2%	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Tuftonboro and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±6.9Highest NH: 20.1%	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Tuftonboro and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,574±$16kHighest about the NH average	$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below NH
	Tuftonboro and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$462,300±$46kHighest 15% above NH	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,311±$358Highest 12% below NH	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH
	Tuftonboro and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,004Lowest 55% below NH	$5,032Highest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	6.5%±28.5Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton and Tuftonboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 3 yrs older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	14.3%±8.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
	Thornton and Tuftonboro 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	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Thornton 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.