What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chatham has the most expensive homes ($363k median).

Grafton has the most people working from home (19.9%).

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	Grafton
People
Population	430Lowest	1,354Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.4% NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.3±8.6Highest 12% above NH	43.1±10.6Lowest about the NH average
	Chatham and Grafton 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%	21%±4.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chatham and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±10Highest NH: 20.1%	21%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Chatham and Grafton 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%	24.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.8Highest NH: 6%	4.5%±2.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Chatham and Grafton 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	$81,563±$22kHighest 18% below NH
	Grafton 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±$42kHighest 10% below NH	$267,300±$23kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,243±$163 17% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,690Lowest 45% below NH	$5,239Highest 21% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	32.1%±34.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Chatham and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	83.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest same as NH	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minLowest 33% above NH	43 minHighest 62% above NH
Work from home	7.3%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.9%±6.8Highest NH: 16.8%
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.