What stands out worked out from the figures below

Candia has the most expensive homes ($416k median).

Ashby has the most people working from home (17.8%).

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	Candia	Ashby
People
Population	4,134Highest	3,211Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.3±3.8Lowest 24% above U.S.	50.5±3Highest 30% above U.S.
	Ashby and Candia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	17%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ashby and Candia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.5%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Candia and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Candia and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,737±$37kHighest 48% above U.S.	$115,598±$9kLowest 43% above U.S.
	Candia and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$415,600±$46kHighest 25% above U.S.	$390,500±$30kLowest 17% above U.S.
	Candia and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,213±$554Highest 14% below U.S.	$1,200±$484Lowest 15% below U.S.
	Candia and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,100Highest 96% above U.S.	$6,034Lowest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±21.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±53.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ashby and Candia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	2.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.	33 minLowest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	10.8%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ashby and Candia 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	#41 of 120 in NH	#200 of 282 in MA
School district	Candia School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.