What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Walpole has the most affordable homes ($320k 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	Walpole
People
Population	6,628Highest	3,690Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-2.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	40.8±3.7Lowest 6% below NH	46.5±10.4Highest 7% above NH
	Walpole 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%	22.2%±5.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sandown and Walpole 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%	25.5%±5.4Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	32.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	4%±2.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Sandown and Walpole 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	$82,617±$16kLowest 17% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$483,400±$44kHighest 20% above NH	$319,800±$48kLowest 21% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,893±$721Highest 27% above NH	$1,165±$150Lowest 22% below NH
	Sandown and Walpole 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	$6,078Lowest 9% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.1%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%	51.6%±21.9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Sandown and Walpole 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%	11.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1967Lowest 12 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above NH	23 minLowest 13% below NH
Work from home	27.4%±13.4Highest NH: 16.8%	7.2%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#71 of 120 in NH	#27 of 120 in NH
School district	Timberlane Regional School District	Fall Mountain 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.