What stands out worked out from the figures below

Raymond has grown the fastest since 2010 (+30.9%).

Chester has the highest household income ($142k).

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	Raymond	Chester
People
Population	3,645Lowest	5,300Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+30.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	+9.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.7±13.3Highest 10% above NH	47.2±3.8Lowest 9% above NH
	Raymond and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±7.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.6%±3.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Chester and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±6.4Highest NH: 20.1%	17.4%±4Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Raymond and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	41.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.9%±4.2Highest NH: 6%	4.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Raymond and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,066±$8kLowest 26% below NH	$142,212±$19kHighest 44% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$314,900±$34kLowest 22% below NH	$552,300±$42kHighest 37% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$450 33% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,113Lowest 23% below NH	$8,464Highest 27% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±13.5Highest NH: 48.2%	19%±72.7Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Raymond and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75%Lowest NH: 72.8%	97.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1991Highest 12 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 14% above NH	35 minHighest 31% above NH
Work from home	12.8%±5.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.4%±5.1Highest NH: 16.8%
	Chester and Raymond 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	#96 of 120 in NH	#90 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Chester School District
High school 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.