What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).

Goffstown has the most expensive homes ($377k 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	Arlington	Goffstown
People
Population	2,598Lowest	18,513Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.	41.3±3.1Highest 6% above U.S.
	Goffstown and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	16%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Arlington and Goffstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Arlington and Goffstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.5%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kLowest 27% above U.S.	$113,958±$12kHighest 41% above U.S.
	Goffstown and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kLowest 4% below U.S.	$377,400±$20kHighest 13% above U.S.
	Goffstown and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Lowest 16% below U.S.	$1,231±$161Highest 13% below U.S.
	Goffstown and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Lowest 46% above U.S.	$6,941Highest 123% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	58.1%±20Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Arlington and Goffstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#35 of 120 in NH
School district	Arlington School District	Goffstown School District
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Goffstown High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	12.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.