What stands out worked out from the figures below

Strafford has the oldest population (median age 46.3).

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

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	Strafford	Sandown
People
Population	4,306Lowest	6,628Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.3±2.1Highest 7% above NH	40.8±3.7Lowest 6% below NH
	Strafford and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.6%±6.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Sandown and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1%	14.2%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Strafford and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	34.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Highest NH: 6%	5.1%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%
	Strafford and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,105±$22kLowest 23% above NH	$135,040±$25kHighest 36% above NH
	Sandown and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,900±$29kLowest 6% above NH	$483,400±$44kHighest 20% above NH
	Sandown and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,635±$246Lowest 10% above NH	$1,893±$721Highest 27% above NH
	Sandown and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,086Lowest 9% below NH	$8,801Highest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	76.3%±30.3Highest NH: 48.2%	64.1%±48.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Strafford and Sandown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	82.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 6 yrs newer than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 34% above NH	33 minLowest 25% above NH
Work from home	15.9%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.4%±13.4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Sandown and Strafford 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	#73 of 120 in NH	#71 of 120 in NH
School district	Strafford School District	Timberlane 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.