What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lempster has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Andover	Lempster
People
Population	2,135Highest	953Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	-3.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46±11.6Lowest 6% above NH	50.8±7.2Highest 17% above NH
	Lempster and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%	12.8%±4.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Andover and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.1%±7.7Highest NH: 20.1%	25.4%±3.5Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Andover and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.7%Highest NH: 40.6%	28.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Lempster 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±$27kHighest 11% below NH	$86,607±$12kLowest 13% below NH
	Andover and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,500±$44kHighest 9% below NH	$241,900±$29kLowest 40% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,211±$190 19% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,962Highest 11% below NH	$4,558Lowest 32% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±8.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lempster and Andover 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%	7.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Lowest NH: 72.8%	98.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 28% above NH	37 minHighest 40% above NH
Work from home	11.7%±5Highest NH: 16.8%	5%±2.5Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Andover and Lempster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Andover School District	Lempster 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.