What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alstead has the most people working from home (12.1%).

Gorham has the most affordable homes ($162k median).

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	Alstead	Gorham
People
Population	1,551Lowest	2,682Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	-5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±3.3Highest 29% above NH	53.9±3.6Lowest 24% above NH
	Alstead and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	12.5%±3.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Gorham and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	31.7%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Gorham and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest NH: 6%	6.7%±2.8Highest NH: 6%
	Gorham and Alstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,526±$11kHighest 35% below NH	$61,275±$7kLowest 38% below NH
	Alstead and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,600±$37kHighest 33% below NH	$161,600±$49kLowest 60% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$838±$83 44% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,322Highest 20% below NH	$4,334Lowest 35% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.1%±22.3Highest NH: 48.2%	41%±20.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Alstead and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 6 yrs older than NH	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	12.1%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%	1.7%±1.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Fall Mountain Regional School District	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	None in town	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.0
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.