What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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	Arlington	Gorham
People
Population	2,598Lowest	2,682Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kHighest 27% above U.S.	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest 4% below U.S.	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 16% below U.S.	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Highest 46% above U.S.	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Arlington School District	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Highest	9.0Lowest
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.