What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sandown has the most affordable homes ($483k median).

Auburn has grown the fastest since 2010 (+20%).

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	Sandown	Auburn
People
Population	6,628Highest	6,119Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+20%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	40.8±3.7Lowest 6% below NH	44.3±5.9Highest about the NH average
	Auburn and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±6.5Highest NH: 18.2%	19.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sandown and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.2%±4Highest NH: 20.1%	13.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Sandown and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	55.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	7.2%±4.7Highest NH: 6%
	Auburn and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,040±$25kLowest 36% above NH	$153,253±$6kHighest 55% above NH
	Auburn and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$483,400±$44kLowest 20% above NH	$600,300±$29kHighest 49% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,893±$721 27% above NH	$1,893±$822 27% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,801Highest 32% above NH	$8,092Lowest 21% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.1%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%	27.6%±27Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Sandown and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.5%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above NH	28 minLowest 4% above NH
Work from home	27.4%±13.4Highest NH: 16.8%	26.5%±6.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Sandown and Auburn 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	#44 of 120 in NH
School district	Timberlane Regional School District	Auburn 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.