What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Haverhill has the most affordable homes ($248k 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	Haverhill
People
Population	5,300Highest	4,611Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-2.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% above NH	49.7±10.6Highest 15% above NH
	Haverhill 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%	14%±4.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chester and Haverhill 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%	21.3%±5.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Haverhill 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%Highest NH: 40.6%	26.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	5%±3.3Highest NH: 6%
	Haverhill and Chester 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	$85,929±$22kLowest 13% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,300±$42kHighest 37% above NH	$247,900±$41kLowest 38% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,115±$84 25% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Highest 27% above NH	$5,908Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	56.6%±26.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Haverhill 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%	11.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	76.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH	1975Lowest 4 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	33 minLowest 22% above NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Highest NH: 16.8%	4.7%±3.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#90 of 120 in NH	#95 of 120 in NH
School district	Chester School District	Haverhill Cooperative School District
High school in town	None in town	Woodsville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.