Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chesterfield grades B overall, ranked 80th of 125 in New Hampshire, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns and it reports less crime per resident than 76% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $469K, 5.6 years of the Keene area’s $83K median household income. 24% of the land in Chesterfield is conserved, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Pisgah State Park, at 4,665 acres with 16.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 10 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Chesterfield.
Where Chesterfield beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,905 in 1790, a low of 591 in 1940, 3,552 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1885 and 5 maps from 1898 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Chesterfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chesterfield, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 19, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Chesterfield.
Chesterfield sends many workers across the state line to Brattleboro, gets more snow than most of the country, though not than most of New Hampshire and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Hampshire.
Within New Hampshire it is healthier than 56% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
28% of Chesterfield adults feel lonely, against 30% in New Hampshire’s towns and 33% across U.S. towns. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Chesterfield. Chesterfield beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Chesterfield | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Chesterfield | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 9.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 31.7% | 27.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Chesterfield School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 253 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests
62 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Chesterfield’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pisgah State Park | 16.6 mi | 4,665 |
| 2. Wantastiquet Mountain Natural Area | 2.3 mi | 464 |
| 3. California Brook Natural Area | 2.2 mi | 1,052 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The property crime rate in Chesterfield is 2.7 per 1,000 residents. New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Chesterfield sits closer to the middle.
| Chesterfield | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
26% of working residents cross a state line to work, Brattleboro among the top destinations. Jobs based here fell from 1,086 in 2013 to 664.
Most working residents leave Chesterfield for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Chesterfield fell to 664 in 2023, 422 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Keene (31%), Brattleboro (10%) and Westmoreland (7%).
| Chesterfield | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $102,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 8.6% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (20% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 34% of residents (40% statewide). 45% of Chesterfield adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Chesterfield has grown 3.7% since 2020, to 3,684 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Chesterfield | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 39% | 29% |
| Median age | 46.8 years | 44.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 18% | 22% |
44% women, 56% men
About 129 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.5 points). Across New Hampshire, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Chesterfield | NH | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 8.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.1% | 8.7% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.9% | 12.7% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 12.4% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.7% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15% | 15.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.5% | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.3% | 7.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 5.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24% | 26.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.6% | 17.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.1% | 9.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.7% | 24.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 22.4% | 16.1% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
The Keene weather station, 7 miles away, records that 60 inches of snow fall in a normal winter: more than most of the country, but less than 79% of New Hampshire places with climate records.
Chesterfield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82° and January nights drop to 13°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Chesterfield home is worth about $469,000, up 1.5% in a year, 8% below the New Hampshire typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chesterfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chesterfield. Close and well known come first.
17 mi MountainMount Monadnock
37 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
24 mi Ski areaMount Snow119 runs · 1,648 ft vertical
28 mi Ski areaStratton Mountain Resort106 runs · 1,899 ft vertical
37 mi MuseumMassachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
39 mi Ski areaOkemo Mountain119 runs · 2,165 ft verticalMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Snow: William J Sisti from Morristown, NJ, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Stratton Mountain Resort: Rudi Riet from Washington, DC, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art: N-Lange.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Okemo Mountain: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Chesterfield
About 2 of every 100 Chesterfield residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where Chesterfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
13 notable people were born in Chesterfield.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Chesterfield is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,552 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Spofford and West Chesterfield. Chesterfield is home to Spofford Lake, Chesterfield Gorge Natural Area, and parts of Pisgah State Park and Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Chesterfield.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield | #80 | B | C | A− | C+ | A |
| Westmoreland | — | — | C− | — | B− | A |
| Swanzey | #114 | C− | C− | B | C− | B+ |
| Hinsdale | #122 | D | B− | C− | D | B+ |
Westmoreland has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Westmoreland reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Chesterfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Chesterfield grades B overall, better than 56% of U.S. towns and #80 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades A for health, A− for safety and C+ for schools.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Chesterfield sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
13 notable people were born here, including Harlan F. Stone and Elinor Mead Howells.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
