What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the oldest population (median age 47.2).

Nottingham has the most people working from home (22.2%).

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	Nottingham
People
Population	5,300Lowest	5,357Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+9.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Highest 9% above NH	38.8±6.7Lowest 10% below NH
	Chester and Nottingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	23.9%±5.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Nottingham and Chester 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%	18.4%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Nottingham 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%	40.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	5.9%±2.6Highest NH: 6%
	Nottingham 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	$122,201±$20kLowest 23% above NH
	Chester and Nottingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,300±$42kHighest 37% above NH	$457,500±$26kLowest 14% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$2,068±$1k 39% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Highest 27% above NH	$7,319Lowest 10% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	92.1%±44.9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Nottingham 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%	1.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	94.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Lowest 12 yrs newer than NH	1992Highest 13 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	34 minLowest 27% above NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	22.2%±5.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Nottingham 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	#15 of 120 in NH
School district	Chester School District	Nottingham 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.