What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chatham has the most renters (17.2% rent).

Surry has the most people working from home (16%).

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	Surry
People
Population	430Lowest	1,052Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+12% NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.3±8.6Highest 12% above NH	44.7±5.1Lowest 3% above NH
	Chatham and Surry 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%	20.8%±6.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chatham and Surry 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%	23.3%±7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Chatham and Surry 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%	31.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.8Lowest NH: 6%	6.6%±6.6Highest NH: 6%
	Surry and Chatham 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	$110,125±$25kHighest 11% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,900±$42kHighest 10% below NH	$331,400±$23kLowest 18% below NH
	Chatham and Surry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,955±$374 31% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,690Lowest 45% below NH	$6,384Highest 4% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100 NH: 48.2%	33.3%±74.3 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%	91.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest same as NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 33% above NH	22 minLowest 18% below NH
Work from home	7.3%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	16%±7.1Highest NH: 16.8%
	Surry and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.