What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.5%).

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	Alstead	Andover
People
Population	1,551Lowest	2,135Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.5%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH	46±11.6Lowest 6% above NH
	Alstead and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	13.3%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Andover and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.1%±7.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Andover and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	29.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	2.7%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Alstead and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,526±$11kLowest 35% below NH	$88,514±$27kHighest 11% below NH
	Andover and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 33% below NH	$366,500±$44kHighest 9% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,211±$190 19% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Lowest 20% below NH	$5,962Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%	45.1%±8.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Alstead and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.5%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%	88.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 19% above NH	34 minHighest 28% above NH
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%	11.7%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Alstead and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Andover School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.