What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most kids (22.4% under 18).

Hancock has the most people working from home (14.9%).

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	Hancock
People
Population	442Lowest	1,791Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.7% NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.4±11.2Lowest 14% above NH	53.8±4.5Highest 24% above NH
	Hancock and Sharon 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%	15.4%±2.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Sharon and Hancock 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%	30.2%±2.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Sharon and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	53.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.6%±3Lowest NH: 6%	4%±1.6Highest NH: 6%
	Hancock 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	$95,208±$15kLowest 4% below NH
	Sharon and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$475,900±$38kHighest 18% above NH	$436,700±$22kLowest 8% above NH
	Sharon and Hancock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,458±$1kHighest about the NH average	$1,208±$650Lowest 19% below NH
	Sharon and Hancock 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	$6,884Lowest 3% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.6%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	32.4%±55.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Hancock and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	85.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest same as NH	1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above NH	33 minHighest 24% above NH
Work from home	11.2%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.9%±3.2Highest NH: 16.8%
	Hancock and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Contoocook Valley 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.