What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cheshire has the most affordable homes ($268k median).

Hampton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

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	Cheshire	Hampton
People
Population	3,216Lowest	16,426Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.7±4.5Lowest 38% above U.S.	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.
	Hampton and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Cheshire and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hampton and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Cheshire and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,803±$14kLowest 14% below U.S.	$95,233±$9kHighest 18% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,200±$48kLowest 19% below U.S.	$550,200±$39kHighest 65% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,628±$94 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.2%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±10.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	4.4%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#274 of 282 in MA	#31 of 120 in NH
School district	Hoosac Valley Regional	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District
High school in town	Hoosac Valley High School	Winnacunnet High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Highest	10.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.