What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Somersworth has the most people working from home (11.7%).

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	Somersworth
People
Population	9,383Lowest	12,111Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+0.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	44.6±2.8Highest 3% above NH	38.4±2.7Lowest 11% below NH
Kids under 18	17.2%±2.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.9%±4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Somersworth and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%	14%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	31.4%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	4.9%±2Highest NH: 6%
	Somersworth 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 54% below NH	$74,504±$13kHighest 25% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$131,000±$15kLowest 67% below NH	$318,400±$23kHighest 21% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$815±$141Lowest 45% below NH	$1,477±$134Highest about the NH average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,437Lowest 48% below NH	$6,805Highest about the NH average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±12Lowest NH: 48.2%	56.3%±14.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Somersworth and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest NH: 7.2%	11.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	57.8%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 41 yrs older than NH	1967Highest 12 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below NH	26 minHighest 3% below NH
Work from home	3.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	11.7%±3.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#108 of 120 in NH	#117 of 120 in NH
School district	Berlin School District	Somersworth School District
High school in town	Berlin Senior High School	Somersworth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.2Lowest	11.4Highest
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.