What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Richmond has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.1%).

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	Richmond
People
Population	7,398Highest	4,159Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50±3.1Highest 29% above U.S.	43.7±5.6Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Swanzey and Richmond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.5%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Richmond 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 U.S.: 17.2%	19.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Swanzey and Richmond 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 U.S.: 35.7%	59.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Swanzey and Richmond 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 about the U.S. average	$108,235±$24kHighest 34% above U.S.
	Richmond 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 22% below U.S.	$432,200±$39kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,508±$303 7% above U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,558Lowest 78% above U.S.	$6,868Highest 120% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.7%±19.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	28.5%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	25 minHighest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	9.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.5%±6.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#102 of 120 in NH	#5 of 70 in VT
School district	Monadnock Regional School District	Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District #401
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

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.