What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyme has the most people working from home (27.2%).

Swanzey has the most affordable homes ($259k 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	Lyme	Swanzey
People
Population	1,710Lowest	7,398Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.6±7.8Lowest 12% above NH	50±3.1Highest 15% above NH
	Swanzey and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%	18%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Lyme and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%	24.2%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Lyme and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.9Lowest NH: 6%	3.4%±2Highest NH: 6%
	Swanzey and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH	$81,595±$11kLowest 18% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH	$259,200±$15kLowest 36% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,418±$130Lowest 5% below NH	$1,508±$303Highest about the NH average
	Swanzey and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$5,558Lowest 17% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±29.8Lowest NH: 48.2%	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Swanzey and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	7.8%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below NH	24 minHighest 9% below NH
Work from home	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%	9.3%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#102 of 120 in NH
School district	Lyme 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.