What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ossipee has the most affordable homes ($326k median).

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

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	Ossipee	Chester
People
Population	4,521Lowest	5,300Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+9.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±4.6Highest 15% above NH	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% 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	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.6%±3.7Highest 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+	26.3%±5.9Highest NH: 20.1%	17.4%±4Lowest 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+	24.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	41.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	4.4%±2.1Highest 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	$90,521±$22kLowest 9% below NH	$142,212±$19kHighest 44% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,500±$23kLowest 19% below NH	$552,300±$42kHighest 37% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,601±$245 7% above NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Lowest 34% below NH	$8,464Highest 27% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72%±16.3Highest NH: 48.2%	19%±72.7Lowest 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	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Lowest NH: 72.8%	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest same as NH	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 25% above NH	35 minHighest 31% above NH
Work from home	5.3%±3.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.4%±5.1Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#100 of 120 in NH	#90 of 120 in NH
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional 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.