What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franconia has the most expensive homes ($530k median).

Chesterfield has the most people working from home (18.9%).

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	Franconia	Chesterfield
People
Population	1,060Lowest	3,622Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-1.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	55.6±7Highest 28% above NH	46.8±8.7Lowest 8% above NH
	Franconia and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.2%±5.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	21.5%±5.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Chesterfield and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	36.6%±6.7Highest NH: 20.1%	28.8%±7.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Franconia and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	45.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±5.4Highest NH: 6%	1.5%±1.4Lowest NH: 6%
	Franconia and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,292±$28kLowest 12% below NH	$102,370±$40kHighest 3% above NH
	Chesterfield and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$530,300±$96kHighest 32% above NH	$373,500±$33kLowest 7% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,281±$278Lowest 14% below NH	$1,324±$1kHighest 11% below NH
	Chesterfield and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,451Highest 12% above NH	$6,344Lowest 5% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±74.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	83.7%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Chesterfield and Franconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	8.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	83.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981 2 yrs newer than NH	1981 2 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 25% below NH	25 minHighest 7% below NH
Work from home	11.9%±5.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.9%±6.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Chesterfield and Franconia 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	—	#52 of 120 in NH
School district	Lafayette Regional School District	Chesterfield 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.