What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chatham has the oldest population (median age 48.3).

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	Chatham	Nelson
People
Population	430Lowest	648Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-13.7% NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.3±8.6Highest 12% above NH	42.3±11.7Lowest about the NH average
	Chatham and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±7.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	27.5%±6.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Nelson and Chatham 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%	24.8%±2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Chatham and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	61.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.8Highest NH: 6%	0.9%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Chatham and Nelson 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	$99,792±$23kHighest about the NH average
	Nelson 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	$340,900±$49kLowest 15% below NH
	Chatham and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,203±$243 19% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,690Lowest 45% below NH	$5,575Highest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	40%±68.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Nelson and Chatham 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%	1.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest same as NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 33% above NH	24 minLowest 9% below NH
Work from home	7.3%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	31.5%±8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	—	Nelson 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.