What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

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	Swanzey	Kingston
People
Population	7,398Highest	6,275Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±3.1Lowest 15% above NH	55.5±5.7Highest 28% above NH
	Kingston and Swanzey 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%	13.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Swanzey and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.2%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.7%±6Highest NH: 20.1%
	Kingston and Swanzey 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%	35.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2Lowest NH: 6%	3.6%±2.1Highest NH: 6%
	Kingston 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	$105,330±$12kHighest 6% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$259,200±$15kLowest 36% below NH	$492,900±$58kHighest 22% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,508±$303Highest about the NH average	$1,393±$156Lowest 7% below NH
	Swanzey and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,558Lowest 17% below NH	$7,906Highest 19% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%	46.9%±46.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Swanzey and Kingston 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%	2.1%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	74.4%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	34 minHighest 27% above NH
Work from home	9.3%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%	15.7%±4.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Kingston 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	#102 of 120 in NH	#78 of 120 in NH
School district	Monadnock Regional School District	Sanborn Regional School District
High school in town	Monadnock Regional High School	Sanborn Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	12.9Highest
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.