What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheldon has the most affordable homes ($272k 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	Sheldon	Chesterfield
People
Population	2,267Lowest	3,622Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.5Lowest 5% above U.S.	46.8±8.7Highest 20% above U.S.
	Chesterfield and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.7%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	21.5%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sheldon and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.8%±7.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sheldon and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,533±$25kLowest about the U.S. average	$102,370±$40kHighest 27% above U.S.
	Chesterfield and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,400±$61kLowest 18% below U.S.	$373,500±$33kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,286±$379Lowest 9% below U.S.	$1,324±$1kHighest 6% below U.S.
	Chesterfield and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,578Lowest 15% above U.S.	$6,344Highest 103% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±27Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	83.7%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chesterfield and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	13%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.9%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chesterfield and Sheldon 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	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85	Chesterfield School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	6 photos →

U.S. 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.