What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville Valley has the most expensive homes ($563k median).

Thornton has the most kids (13.9% 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	Waterville Valley	Thornton
People
Population	290Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.8% NH: +4.6%
Median age	61.6±16.5Highest 42% above NH	51.1±3.4Lowest 18% 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	8.6%±11.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	13.9%±4.6Highest 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+	43.1%±9.7Highest NH: 20.1%	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	71.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest 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	$105,625±$50kHighest 7% above NH	$90,022±$17kLowest 9% below 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	$562,500±$193kHighest 40% above NH	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below 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	$1,150±$382Lowest 23% below NH	$1,270±$428Highest 15% 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	$5,745Highest 14% below NH	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest 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	6.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Highest 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	14 minLowest 48% below NH	23 minHighest 15% below NH
Work from home	19.7%±12.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest 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	Waterville Valley 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.