What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winchester has the youngest population (median age 42.6).

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

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	Winchester	Swanzey
People
Population	4,212Lowest	7,398Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.4%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+0.6%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.6±4.5Lowest about the NH average	50±3.1Highest 15% above NH
	Swanzey and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±4.7Highest NH: 18.2%	18%±3.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Winchester and Swanzey are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.9%±3.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	24.2%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%
	Swanzey and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	30.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%	3.4%±2Highest NH: 6%
	Swanzey and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,723±$11kLowest 32% below NH	$81,595±$11kHighest 18% below NH
	Swanzey and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,900±$20kLowest 40% below NH	$259,200±$15kHighest 36% below NH
	Swanzey and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,209±$143Lowest 19% below NH	$1,508±$303Highest about the NH average
	Swanzey and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,314Lowest 20% below NH	$5,558Highest 17% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45%±17.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	67.7%±19.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Swanzey and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	7.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 7% above NH	24 minLowest 9% below NH
Work from home	4.3%±2.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	9.3%±4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Swanzey and Winchester 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	#120 of 120 in NH	#102 of 120 in NH
School district	Winchester School District	Monadnock Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	Monadnock Regional High School
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.