Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The weak point is schools: its schools rank behind 85% of the state's. With a C− overall, Swanzey is better than 21% of U.S. towns and ranks 114th of 125 in New Hampshire. Its best grade is for health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 70% of the country. At about $382K, a typical home costs 4.6 years of the Keene area’s $83K median household income. Its National Register listings include Carleton Bridge and Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge. The biggest place to walk is Yale Toumey Forest, 1,319 acres with 1.9 miles of trail. The town’s median age is 50 years, above both New Hampshire’s towns (44.6 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). This New Hampshire town has 5 places on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places · OpenStreetMap.
Where Swanzey beats most towns.
Carleton Bridge| Widest gap | Swanzey | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13% | 8.9% |
Census counts: 1,157 in 1790, 7,270 in 2020. The archive holds 20 old photos and papers going back to 2011 and 5 maps from 1898 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Swanzey is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Swanzey, 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 Swanzey.
Swanzey is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in New Hampshire; it also reports violent crime at about twice the New Hampshire rate and has many renters stretched by housing costs.
Below: Two of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked. The largest public high school is Monadnock Regional High School, with 448 students. Public schools: the Monadnock Regional School District.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutler Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 316 | C− |
| Monadnock Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 448 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
The concentration of trails in Swanzey is 1.2 miles per square mile. Trails total 52 miles in 10 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves here: 10, covering 2,389 acres.
| Swanzey | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.8% | 18% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 1.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Horatio Colony Nature Preserve | 2.7 mi | 279 |
| 2. Yale Toumey Forest | 1.9 mi | 1,319 |
| 3. Honey Hill Conservation Area | 1.6 mi | 176 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Half of commuters travel less than 8 miles. For Swanzey, the mean commuting time is 24 minutes. Most working residents leave Swanzey for work: only 10% work in town. 9.3% of workers do their job from home in the town.
| Swanzey | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 9.3% | 16% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $82,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.8% | 6.7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Of the losses FEMA expects in Swanzey, 80% come from inland flooding. FEMA expects more storm and flood damage locally than in just over three quarters of U.S. communities. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Swanzey once, in 2005.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 81% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
For adults in Swanzey, the share who binge drink is 15%. Two figures for adults locally: 14% report frequent physical distress, 30% feel lonely.
| Swanzey | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 30% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Swanzey | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13% | 8.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.1% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 13.6% | 10.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
67.7% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.2% across New Hampshire.
Values rose 3.9% in the 12 months to September 2026. For Swanzey, the median rent is $1,508 a month. In Swanzey, 72% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Swanzey | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,508 a month | $1,382 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 82% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Violent crime runs at 2.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the New Hampshire rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its B.
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Swanzey sits closer to the middle. The level of violent crime for Swanzey comes to 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Swanzey | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
5 within 15 miles of the center of Swanzey
About 3 of every 100 Swanzey residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where Swanzey’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Swanzey on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Swanzey is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,270 at the 2020 census. In addition to the town center, Swanzey includes the villages of East Swanzey, West Swanzey, North Swanzey and Westport.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Swanzey.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swanzey | #114 | C− | C− | B | C− | B+ |
| Troy | — | — | C+ | — | C− | A− |
| Marlborough | — | — | C | A | D | A− |
| Keene | #103 | C | C− | C | C | A |
| Winchester | #125 | D− | C | B− | D− | C+ |
| Richmond | — | — | D | — | C− | C+ |
| Chesterfield | #80 | B | C | A− | C+ | A |
Troy, Marlborough and Richmond have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Troy and Richmond report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Swanzey with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Swanzey grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #114 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades B+ for health, B for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Swanzey sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
