What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($131k median).

Hampden has the most people working from home (21.3%).

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	Berlin	Hampden
People
Population	9,383Highest	7,896Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.8Highest 15% above U.S.	41±2.9Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Berlin and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	25.8%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.1%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Berlin and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hampden and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,180±$5kLowest 44% below U.S.	$111,959±$13kHighest 39% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,000±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.	$301,300±$38kHighest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$815±$141Lowest 42% below U.S.	$1,286±$317Highest 9% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,437Lowest 10% above U.S.	$3,694Highest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±12Highest U.S.: 51.1%	22.2%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Berlin and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 29% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	3.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.3%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 120 in NH	#6 of 133 in ME
School district	Berlin School District	RSU 22
High school in town	Berlin Senior High School	Hampden Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	8.2Lowest	14.8Highest
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.