What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Manchester has the most renters (51.3% rent).

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	Manchester
People
Population	6,628Lowest	115,643Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	40.8±3.7Highest 6% below NH	38±1Lowest 12% below NH
	Sandown and Manchester 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%	18%±1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sandown and Manchester 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%	15.5%±0.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Manchester and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	6.4%±0.7Highest NH: 6%
	Manchester 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±$25kHighest 36% above NH	$81,007±$2kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$483,400±$44kHighest 20% above NH	$365,600±$7kLowest 9% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,893±$721Highest 27% above NH	$1,564±$37Lowest 5% above NH
	Sandown and Manchester 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	$5,922Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.1%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%	50%±3.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Sandown and Manchester 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%	11.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	48.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1966Lowest 13 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above NH	24 minLowest 10% below NH
Work from home	27.4%±13.4Highest NH: 16.8%	14.1%±1.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Sandown and Manchester 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	#115 of 120 in NH
School district	Timberlane Regional School District	Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies · Manchester School District
High school in town	None in town	Manchester Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.3
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	6 photos →

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.