What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bridgewater has the highest household income ($82k).

Chatham has the most kids (21.4% under 18).

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	Bridgewater	Chatham
People
Population	1,169Highest	430Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.1% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	58.3±6.3Highest 35% above NH	48.3±8.6Lowest 12% above NH
	Bridgewater and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.8%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	21.4%±7.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Chatham and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.1%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%	26.5%±10Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Bridgewater and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	38.4%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%	5.8%±3.8Highest NH: 6%
	Chatham and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,361±$9kHighest 17% below NH	$66,042±$19kLowest 33% below NH
	Bridgewater and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$398,600±$65kHighest about the NH average	$362,900±$42kLowest 10% below NH
	Bridgewater and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$201 25% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,823Lowest 58% below NH	$3,690Highest 45% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±13.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	33.3%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Chatham and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	8.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	82.8%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979 same as NH	1979 same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 13% above NH	36 minHighest 33% above NH
Work from home	8%±3.3Highest NH: 16.8%	7.3%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Bridgewater and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Newfound Area 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.