What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

Lisbon has the most affordable homes ($198k 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	Lisbon
People
Population	16,038Highest	1,583Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.1±2.9Lowest 5% below NH	46.4±5.7Highest 7% above NH
	Lisbon 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%	21.5%±6.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Windham and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±2.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.8%±5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lisbon 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%	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.8Highest NH: 6%	2.3%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Windham and Lisbon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$189,583±$19kHighest 91% above NH	$65,500±$13kLowest 34% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,300±$50kHighest 80% above NH	$198,000±$19kLowest 51% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,218±$350Highest 116% above NH	$1,344±$303Lowest 10% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$4,691Lowest 30% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.2%±50.9Lowest NH: 48.2%	52.9%±18.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lisbon and Windham 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%	8.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.9%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 17 yrs newer than NH	1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 15% above NH	22 minLowest 19% below NH
Work from home	21.9%±4.4Highest NH: 16.8%	10.3%±2.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#13 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Windham School District	Lisbon Regional School District
High school in town	Windham High School	Lisbon Regional School (High)
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	6.4Lowest
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.