What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hampton Falls has the most expensive homes ($773k 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	Hampton Falls
People
Population	5,300Highest	2,328Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+7.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% above NH	49.5±7.3Highest 14% above NH
	Hampton Falls and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.7Highest NH: 18.2%	19.1%±5.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chester and Hampton Falls 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%	25%±3.6Highest NH: 20.1%
	Hampton Falls and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	54.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.8%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Chester and Hampton Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$142,212±$19kLowest 44% above NH	$166,157±$14kHighest 68% above NH
	Hampton Falls and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,300±$42kLowest 37% above NH	$772,600±$76kHighest 92% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,852±$475 24% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Lowest 27% above NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	27.2%±22.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Hampton Falls and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4% NH: 7.2%	4% NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	86.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH	1981Lowest 2 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	32 minLowest 21% above NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	21.8%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Hampton Falls 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	Hampton Falls 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.