What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.7%).

Bradford has the most affordable homes ($342k median).

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	Chester	Bradford
People
Population	5,300Highest	1,565Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+0.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% above NH	50.3±5.2Highest 16% above NH
	Bradford and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	21.4%±4.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bradford and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%	26.3%±3.5Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	37.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	1.9%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Chester and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$142,212±$19kHighest 44% above NH	$108,015±$21kLowest 9% above NH
	Chester and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,300±$42kHighest 37% above NH	$341,700±$38kLowest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,507±$206 about the NH average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Highest 27% above NH	$6,307Lowest 5% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	41.1%±22.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bradford and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	85.4%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	32 minLowest 20% above NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.6%±8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bradford and Chester 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	#90 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Chester School District	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	None 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.