What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Kensington has the most expensive homes ($658k 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	Kensington
People
Population	5,300Highest	2,009Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-1.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Highest 9% above NH	43.3±5.9Lowest about the NH average
	Chester and Kensington 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%	17.1%±2.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chester and Kensington 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%	18.8%±2.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Kensington 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%	48.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.4%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Chester and Kensington 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	$165,083±$18kHighest 67% above NH
	Kensington 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	$657,700±$47kHighest 63% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,813±$627 22% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Lowest 27% above NH	$9,637Highest 45% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	24.4%±38.5Highest NH: 48.2%
	Kensington and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Highest NH: 7.2%	1.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	92.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH	1987Lowest 8 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	29 minLowest 7% above NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	19.2%±3.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Kensington 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	Kensington 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.