What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the highest household income ($142k).

Laconia has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Laconia
People
Population	5,300Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Highest 9% above NH	45.3±3.9Lowest 5% above NH
	Chester and Laconia 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%	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chester and Laconia 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%	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia 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%	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Chester and Laconia 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	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,300±$42kHighest 37% above NH	$340,300±$16kLowest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,224±$107 18% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Highest 27% above NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia 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%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Highest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Chester and Laconia 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	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Chester School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	None in town	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.0
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.