What stands out worked out from the figures below

Swanzey has the most people working from home (9.3%).

Northfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.9%).

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	Northfield
People
Population	7,398Highest	4,971Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+0.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±3.1Highest 15% above NH	42.6±5.1Lowest about the NH average
	Swanzey and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	20.3%±4.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Northfield and Swanzey 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%	17.2%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Swanzey and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	23.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Northfield 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	$92,917±$15kHighest 6% below NH
	Northfield 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	$288,500±$33kHighest 28% below NH
	Northfield and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,508±$303Highest about the NH average	$1,076±$182Lowest 28% below NH
	Swanzey and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,558Highest 17% below NH	$5,097Lowest 24% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%	24.1%±14.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1979Highest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	26 minHighest 4% below NH
Work from home	9.3%±4Highest NH: 16.8%	6.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Swanzey and Northfield 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	#109 of 120 in NH
School district	Monadnock Regional School District	Winnisquam 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.