What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amherst has the most affordable homes ($538k median).

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

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	Amherst	Andover
People
Population	11,861Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.5Highest 18% above U.S.	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Amherst and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Andover and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Amherst and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,196±$10kLowest 90% above U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
	Andover and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kLowest 62% above U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256Lowest 3% above U.S.	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Lowest 213% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Andover and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	32.4%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Amherst and Andover 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	#20 of 120 in NH	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.