What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ossipee has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Ossipee
People
Population	5,300Highest	4,521Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% above NH	50±4.6Highest 15% above NH
	Ossipee 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%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Chester and Ossipee 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%	26.3%±5.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Ossipee 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%	24.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	2.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Chester and Ossipee 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	$90,521±$22kLowest 9% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$552,300±$42kHighest 37% above NH	$325,500±$23kLowest 19% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,601±$245 7% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,464Highest 27% above NH	$4,401Lowest 34% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	72%±16.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Ossipee 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%	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	82%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH	1979Lowest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above NH	33 minLowest 25% above NH
Work from home	16.4%±5.1Highest NH: 16.8%	5.3%±3.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#90 of 120 in NH	#100 of 120 in NH
School district	Chester School District	Governor Wentworth Regional 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.