What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most renters (51% rent).

Swanzey has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.6%).

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	St. Albans	Swanzey
People
Population	6,954Lowest	7,398Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest about the U.S. average	50±3.1Highest 29% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	18%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	St. Albans and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.2%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Swanzey and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$81,595±$11kHighest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kHighest 21% below U.S.	$259,200±$15kLowest 22% below U.S.
	St. Albans and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,508±$303Highest 7% above U.S.
	Swanzey and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Lowest 42% above U.S.	$5,558Highest 78% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.7%±19.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Swanzey and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	St. Albans and Swanzey 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	#46 of 70 in VT	#102 of 120 in NH
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Monadnock Regional School District
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Monadnock Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

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.