What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($289k median).

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	Northfield	Sandown
People
Population	4,971Lowest	6,628Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.6±5.1Highest about the NH average	40.8±3.7Lowest 6% below NH
	Northfield and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.3%±4.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.6%±6.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Sandown and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.2%±3.6Highest NH: 20.1%	14.2%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Northfield and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	34.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.5 NH: 6%	5.1%±2.6 NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,917±$15kLowest 6% below NH	$135,040±$25kHighest 36% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,500±$33kLowest 28% below NH	$483,400±$44kHighest 20% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,076±$182Lowest 28% below NH	$1,893±$721Highest 27% above NH
	Sandown and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,097Lowest 24% below NH	$8,801Highest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.1%±14.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	64.1%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Sandown and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest same as NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	6.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.4%±13.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#109 of 120 in NH	#71 of 120 in NH
School district	Winnisquam Regional 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.