What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Swanzey has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	Swanzey
People
Population	430Lowest	7,398Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.6% NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.3±8.6Lowest 12% above NH	50±3.1Highest 15% above NH
	Swanzey 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%	18%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chatham and Swanzey 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%	24.2%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Chatham and Swanzey 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%	30.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.8Highest NH: 6%	3.4%±2Lowest NH: 6%
	Chatham and Swanzey 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	$81,595±$11kHighest 18% below NH
	Swanzey 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	$259,200±$15kLowest 36% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,508±$303 about the NH average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,690Lowest 45% below NH	$5,558Highest 17% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Swanzey 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%	7.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.8%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest same as NH	1978Lowest 1 yr 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%	9.3%±4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Swanzey and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#102 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Monadnock Regional School District
High school in town	—	Monadnock Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.