What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Deering has the most affordable homes ($310k median).

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	Deering
People
Population	6,628Highest	1,938Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-0.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	40.8±3.7Lowest 6% below NH	48.8±5.7Highest 13% above NH
	Deering 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%	17.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sandown and Deering are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.2%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%	23.9%±1.2Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	31%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	1.6%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Sandown and Deering are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$135,040±$25kHighest 36% above NH	$101,250±$16kLowest about the NH average
	Sandown and Deering are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$483,400±$44kHighest 20% above NH	$309,900±$27kLowest 23% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,893±$721Highest 27% above NH	$1,306±$116Lowest 12% below NH
	Sandown and Deering are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,801Highest 32% above NH	$6,223Lowest 7% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.1%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%	23.9%±27.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Sandown and Deering are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	14.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	87.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 25% above NH	40 minHighest 49% above NH
Work from home	27.4%±13.4Highest NH: 16.8%	10%±2.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#71 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Timberlane Regional 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.