What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlestown has grown the fastest since 2010 (-6%).

Nelson has the most people working from home (31.5%).

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	Charlestown	Nelson
People
Population	4,889Highest	648Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6%Highest NH: +4.6%	-13.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	41.6±8.5Lowest 4% below NH	42.3±11.7Highest about the NH average
	Nelson and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±5.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	27.5%±6.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Nelson and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±5.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.8%±2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Nelson and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	61.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±3.2Highest NH: 6%	0.9%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Charlestown and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,338±$23kLowest 52% below NH	$99,792±$23kHighest about the NH average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$228,000±$62kLowest 43% below NH	$340,900±$49kHighest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,099±$85Lowest 26% below NH	$1,203±$243Highest 19% below NH
	Nelson and Charlestown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,143Lowest 23% below NH	$5,575Highest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	65%±24.9Highest NH: 48.2%	40%±68.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Charlestown and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below NH	24 minHighest 9% below NH
Work from home	7.6%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	31.5%±8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#113 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Nelson 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.