What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hooksett has the most affordable homes ($348k median).

Auburn has the most people working from home (26.5%).

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	Hooksett	Auburn
People
Population	5,876Lowest	6,119Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+27.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+20%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.6±2Lowest about the NH average	44.3±5.9Highest about the NH average
	Auburn and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.3%±4.3Highest NH: 18.2%
	Auburn and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.9Highest NH: 20.1%	13.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	55.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±3.7Lowest NH: 6%	7.2%±4.7Highest NH: 6%
	Auburn and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,053±$25kLowest about the NH average	$153,253±$6kHighest 55% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$348,100±$32kLowest 14% below NH	$600,300±$29kHighest 49% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,811±$283Lowest 21% above NH	$1,893±$822Highest 27% above NH
	Auburn and Hooksett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,960Lowest 26% below NH	$8,092Highest 21% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±20.2Highest NH: 48.2%	27.6%±27Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Hooksett and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.5%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 9% above NH	28 minLowest 4% above NH
Work from home	14.4%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	26.5%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#30 of 120 in NH	#44 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Auburn School District
High school 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.