What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has the youngest population (median age 46).

Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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	Thornton
People
Population	2,135Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46±11.6Lowest 6% above NH	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH
	Thornton and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	13.9%±4.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Thornton and Andover 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%	19%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Andover and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Thornton 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	$90,022±$17kHighest 9% below NH
	Thornton and Andover 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	$351,900±$20kLowest 13% below NH
	Andover and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,211±$190Lowest 19% below NH	$1,270±$428Highest 15% below NH
	Thornton and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,962Highest 11% below NH	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±8.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton 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%	9.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 28% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	11.7%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Andover School District	Thornton 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.