What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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

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	Chatham	Bridgewater
People
Population	430Lowest	1,169Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.1% NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.3±8.6Lowest 12% above NH	58.3±6.3Highest 35% 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	21.4%±7.4Highest NH: 18.2%	10.8%±3.5Lowest 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+	26.5%±10Lowest NH: 20.1%	33.1%±1.8Highest 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+	38.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	32.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.8Highest NH: 6%	1.3%±1.2Lowest 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	$66,042±$19kLowest 33% below NH	$82,361±$9kHighest 17% 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	$362,900±$42kLowest 10% below NH	$398,600±$65kHighest about the NH average
	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	$3,690Highest 45% below NH	$2,823Lowest 58% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	32.1%±13.6Lowest 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	8.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%	11.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.8%Highest NH: 72.8%	79.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979 same as NH	1979 same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 33% above NH	30 minLowest 13% above NH
Work from home	7.3%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	8%±3.3Highest 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.