What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the highest household income ($190k).

Effingham has the most affordable homes ($323k 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	Effingham
People
Population	16,038Highest	1,912Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+15.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.1±2.9Lowest 5% below NH	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH
	Effingham and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.4%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	15.5%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	18.7%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Effingham and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.8Highest NH: 6%	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$189,583±$19kHighest 91% above NH	$76,607±$14kLowest 23% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,300±$50kHighest 80% above NH	$322,700±$30kLowest 20% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,218±$350Highest 116% above NH	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$5,163Lowest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.2%±50.9Highest NH: 48.2%	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Windham and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 17 yrs newer than NH	1982Lowest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 15% above NH	32 minHighest 18% above NH
Work from home	21.9%±4.4Highest NH: 16.8%	16.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Windham and Effingham 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	#13 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Windham School District	Governor Wentworth Regional School District
High school in town	Windham High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	—
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.