What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has the most affordable homes ($367k median).

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13%).

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	Andover	Brookline
People
Population	2,135Lowest	5,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+13%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46±11.6Highest 6% above NH	41.2±1.5Lowest 5% below NH
	Andover and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	26.7%±4Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	28.1%±7.7Highest NH: 20.1%	11.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	57.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%	6.3%±3.2Highest NH: 6%
	Brookline and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,514±$27kLowest 11% below NH	$171,046±$4kHighest 73% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,500±$44kLowest 9% below NH	$544,400±$38kHighest 35% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,211±$190Lowest 19% below NH	$2,500±$1kHighest 68% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,962Lowest 11% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±8.3Highest NH: 48.2%	23.8%±43.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Andover and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.5%Highest NH: 7.2%	0.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1993Highest 14 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 28% above NH	33 minLowest 25% above NH
Work from home	11.7%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	24.7%±5.8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	Andover School District	Brookline 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.