What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most people working from home (16.4%).

Newington has the most expensive homes ($862k 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	Newington
People
Population	5,300Highest	939Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+7.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% above NH	48.7±10.1Highest 12% above NH
	Newington 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%	15.7%±4.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chester and Newington 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%	28%±11Highest NH: 20.1%
	Newington 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%	62.4%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.9%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Chester and Newington 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	$145,833±$46kHighest 47% above NH
	Newington 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	$861,600±$46kHighest 114% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$2,292±$795 54% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Highest 27% above NH	$6,081Lowest 9% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	62.9%±44Highest NH: 48.2%
	Newington 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%	86.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH	1984Lowest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	23 minLowest 13% below NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Highest NH: 16.8%	8%±2.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#90 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Chester School District	Newington School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.