What stands out worked out from the figures below

Swanzey has the most affordable homes ($259k median).

Canterbury has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Swanzey	Canterbury
People
Population	7,398Highest	2,353Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±3.1Highest 15% above NH	48.6±3.8Lowest 12% above NH
	Swanzey and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.2Highest NH: 18.2%	17.4%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Swanzey and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.2%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	22.9%±3.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Swanzey and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	49.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2Lowest NH: 6%	6.8%±3Highest NH: 6%
	Canterbury and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,595±$11kLowest 18% below NH	$129,333±$37kHighest 31% above NH
	Canterbury and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$259,200±$15kLowest 36% below NH	$443,700±$21kHighest 10% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,508±$303Lowest about the NH average	$2,136±$233Highest 43% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,558Lowest 17% below NH	$7,421Highest 11% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.7%±19.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	71.7%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Canterbury and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	5.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	33 minHighest 22% above NH
Work from home	9.3%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%	21.6%±7.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#102 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Monadnock Regional School District	Shaker Regional School District
High school in town	Monadnock Regional High School	None in town
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.