What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most kids (12.3% under 18).

Sandwich has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.6%).

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	Sandwich
People
Population	1,551Lowest	1,757Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+10.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Lowest 29% above NH	63.6±2.8Highest 47% above NH
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Highest NH: 18.2%	7%±3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Alstead and Sandwich 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%	46.6%±8.9Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	63.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	3.7%±3Highest NH: 6%
	Sandwich and Alstead 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	$140,694±$22kHighest 42% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kLowest 33% below NH	$437,700±$79kHighest 9% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,679±$1k 13% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Highest 20% below NH	$4,494Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%	56.4%±41.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Alstead and Sandwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	5.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Lowest NH: 72.8%	94%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 6 yrs older than NH	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above NH	31 minLowest 16% above NH
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	36.1%±16.9Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Inter-Lakes Cooperative 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.