What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brentwood has the most people working from home (23.1%).

Swanzey has the most affordable homes ($259k 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	Brentwood	Swanzey
People
Population	4,641Lowest	7,398Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+0.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.8±3.1Lowest about the NH average	50±3.1Highest 15% above NH
	Swanzey and Brentwood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±4.1Highest NH: 18.2%	18%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Brentwood and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±3.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.2%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Swanzey and Brentwood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.4Highest NH: 6%	3.4%±2Lowest NH: 6%
	Brentwood and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$165,509±$23kHighest 67% above NH	$81,595±$11kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$528,100±$75kHighest 31% above NH	$259,200±$15kLowest 36% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,217±$654Highest 49% above NH	$1,508±$303Lowest about the NH average
	Brentwood and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,713Highest 46% above NH	$5,558Lowest 17% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.9%±37.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Swanzey and Brentwood are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	7.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1995Highest 16 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% above NH	24 minLowest 9% below NH
Work from home	23.1%±8.5Highest NH: 16.8%	9.3%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#16 of 120 in NH	#102 of 120 in NH
School district	Brentwood 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
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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.