What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dunbarton has the most affordable homes ($484k median).

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

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	Dunbarton	Chester
People
Population	3,097Lowest	5,300Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48±3.7Highest 11% above NH	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% above NH
	Dunbarton and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±3.8Highest NH: 18.2%	19.6%±3.7Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Dunbarton and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±4.3Highest NH: 20.1%	17.4%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Dunbarton and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	41.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2Lowest NH: 6%	4.4%±2.1Highest NH: 6%
	Chester and Dunbarton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,348±$21kLowest 26% above NH	$142,212±$19kHighest 44% above NH
	Chester and Dunbarton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$484,100±$33kLowest 20% above NH	$552,300±$42kHighest 37% above NH
	Chester and Dunbarton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,166±$70 22% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,233Lowest 23% above NH	$8,464Highest 27% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.7%±60.7Highest NH: 48.2%	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Dunbarton and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Lowest 11 yrs newer than NH	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 25% above NH	35 minHighest 31% above NH
Work from home	12.6%±5.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.4%±5.1Highest NH: 16.8%
	Chester and Dunbarton 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	#33 of 120 in NH	#90 of 120 in NH
School district	Dunbarton School District	Chester 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.