What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most people working from home (12.1%).

Swanzey has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.6%).

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	Alstead	Swanzey
People
Population	1,551Lowest	7,398Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+0.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH	50±3.1Lowest 15% above NH
	Alstead and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	18%±3.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Swanzey and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	24.2%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Alstead and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	30.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6 NH: 6%	3.4%±2 NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,526±$11kLowest 35% below NH	$81,595±$11kHighest 18% below NH
	Swanzey and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kHighest 33% below NH	$259,200±$15kLowest 36% below NH
	Alstead and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,508±$303 about the NH average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Lowest 20% below NH	$5,558Highest 17% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%	67.7%±19.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Alstead and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above NH	24 minLowest 9% below NH
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%	9.3%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Alstead and Swanzey 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	—	#102 of 120 in NH
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Monadnock Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	Monadnock Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.