What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most people working from home (19%).

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($258k 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	Windham	Bristol
People
Population	19,188Highest	3,273Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±1.8Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.7±5.7Highest 10% above U.S.
	Bristol and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.3%±6.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bristol and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.2%±4.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windham and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,934±$14kHighest 34% above U.S.	$78,438±$10kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,900±$22kHighest 17% above U.S.	$258,300±$63kLowest 22% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,232±$332Lowest 13% below U.S.	$1,310±$97Highest 7% below U.S.
	Bristol and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S.	$4,162Highest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.3%±14.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bristol and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	19%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windham and Bristol 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	#95 of 133 in ME	#79 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 14	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	Windham High School	Newfound Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	11.5Lowest
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.