What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has the most affordable homes ($279k median).

Sandown has the most people working from home (27.4%).

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	Rochester	Sandown
People
Population	33,144Highest	6,628Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43±1.8Highest about the NH average	40.8±3.7Lowest 6% below NH
	Rochester and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.6%±6.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Sandown and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±1.9Highest NH: 20.1%	14.2%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Rochester and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	34.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Sandown and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,836±$3kLowest 18% below NH	$135,040±$25kHighest 36% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$279,100±$10kLowest 31% below NH	$483,400±$44kHighest 20% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,369±$72Lowest 8% below NH	$1,893±$721Highest 27% above NH
	Sandown and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,334Lowest 20% below NH	$8,801Highest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.3%±7Lowest NH: 48.2%	64.1%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Sandown and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the NH average	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	11.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.4%±13.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#98 of 120 in NH	#71 of 120 in NH
School district	Rochester School District	Timberlane Regional School District
High school in town	Spaulding High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	13.2	—
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.