What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pembroke has the most people working from home (17%).

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	Pembroke
People
Population	7,398Lowest	7,438Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.3%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	50±3.1Highest 15% above NH	41.9±3.3Lowest 3% below NH
Kids under 18	18%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	24%±4.6Highest NH: 18.2%
	Pembroke 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%	16.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	32.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2Lowest NH: 6%	3.5%±1.6Highest NH: 6%
	Pembroke 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	$89,519±$22kHighest 10% below NH
	Pembroke 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	$371,500±$20kHighest 8% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,508±$303Highest about the NH average	$1,218±$354Lowest 18% below NH
	Swanzey and Pembroke 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	$7,589Highest 14% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%	48.4%±21.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Swanzey and Pembroke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	15%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	67.4%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1969Lowest 10 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below NH	25 minHighest 8% below NH
Work from home	9.3%±4Lowest NH: 16.8%	17%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Pembroke 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	#85 of 120 in NH
School district	Monadnock Regional School District	Pembroke School District
High school in town	Monadnock Regional High School	Pembroke Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	13.1Highest
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.