What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most expensive homes ($476k median).

Canaan has the most affordable homes ($254k 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	Sharon	Canaan
People
Population	442Lowest	3,811Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2.9% NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.4±11.2Highest 14% above NH	44.4±3.7Lowest about the NH average
	Sharon and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±8.6Highest NH: 18.2%	14.7%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sharon and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.4%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1%	19.1%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	28.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.6%±3Lowest NH: 6%	7%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Canaan and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,125±$19kHighest 14% above NH	$81,583±$6kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$475,900±$38kHighest 18% above NH	$254,000±$26kLowest 37% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,458±$1kHighest about the NH average	$1,140±$90Lowest 24% below NH
	Sharon and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,274Highest 24% above NH	$5,985Lowest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.6%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	74.4%±25.1Highest NH: 48.2%
	Canaan and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	13.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	77.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest same as NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above NH	30 minLowest 12% above NH
Work from home	11.2%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.9%±6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Canaan and Sharon 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	—	#83 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Mascoma Valley Regional School District
High school in town	—	Mascoma Valley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.3
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.