What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has the most people working from home (27.2%).

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	Lyme
People
Population	5,300Highest	1,710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% above NH	48.6±7.8Highest 12% above NH
	Lyme 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%	19.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chester and Lyme 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%	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Lowest NH: 6%
	Chester and Lyme 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	$133,906±$15kLowest 35% above NH
	Chester and Lyme 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	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
	Lyme and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,418±$130 5% below 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%	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme 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%	4.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	80.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#90 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Chester School District	Lyme 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.