What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has grown the fastest since 2010 (+20%).

Lee has the most affordable homes ($481k 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	Auburn	Lee
People
Population	6,119Highest	4,576Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+20%Highest NH: +4.6%	+4.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.3±5.9Highest about the NH average	42.9±1.9Lowest about the NH average
	Auburn and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	21.9%±5.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lee and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	22.6%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lee and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	50.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±4.7Highest NH: 6%	5.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%
	Auburn and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,253±$6kHighest 55% above NH	$131,579±$54kLowest 33% above NH
	Auburn and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$600,300±$29kHighest 49% above NH	$480,600±$61kLowest 19% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,893±$822 27% above NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,092Lowest 21% above NH	$9,661Highest 45% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±27Lowest NH: 48.2%	38.3%±53.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lee and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest NH: 7.2%	2.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.8%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above NH	28 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	26.5%±6.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.6%±8.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Lee and Auburn 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	#44 of 120 in NH	#3 of 120 in NH
School district	Auburn School District	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	10 photos →

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.