What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyme has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Sandown has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).

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	Lyme	Sandown
People
Population	1,710Lowest	6,628Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.6±7.8Highest 12% above NH	40.8±3.7Lowest 6% below NH
	Lyme and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.6%±6.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Sandown and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%	14.2%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	34.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.9Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Sandown and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,906±$15kLowest 35% above NH	$135,040±$25kHighest 36% above NH
	Sandown and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH	$483,400±$44kLowest 20% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,418±$130Lowest 5% below NH	$1,893±$721Highest 27% above NH
	Sandown and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$8,801Lowest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±29.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	64.1%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Sandown and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below NH	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	27.2%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.4%±13.4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Sandown and Lyme 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	—	#71 of 120 in NH
School district	Lyme School District	Timberlane Regional 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.