What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most homeowners (94.1%).

Swanzey has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.6%).

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	Cornish	Swanzey
People
Population	1,816Lowest	7,398Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+0.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH	50±3.1Lowest 15% above NH
	Cornish and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	18%±3.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Swanzey and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest NH: 20.1%	24.2%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Cornish and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%	3.4%±2Highest NH: 6%
	Swanzey and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kHighest 7% below NH	$81,595±$11kLowest 18% below NH
	Cornish and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kHighest 26% below NH	$259,200±$15kLowest 36% below NH
	Cornish and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 18% below NH	$1,508±$303Highest about the NH average
	Swanzey and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Highest 13% below NH	$5,558Lowest 17% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Swanzey and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	7.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below NH	24 minLowest 9% below NH
Work from home	12%±4.1Highest NH: 16.8%	9.3%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Cornish and Swanzey 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	—	#102 of 120 in NH
School district	Cornish School District	Monadnock Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	Monadnock Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.