What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most expensive homes ($732k median).

Gorham has the most homeowners (81.5%).

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	Boston	Gorham
People
Population	666,442Highest	18,300Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 14% below U.S.	39.4±2.9Highest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.5%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	13.1%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Boston and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 21% above U.S.	$112,312±$6kHighest 39% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 120% above U.S.	$460,900±$26kLowest 39% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 52% above U.S.	$1,680±$355Lowest 19% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 43% above U.S.	$4,825Highest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.9%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Boston and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#24 of 133 in ME
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Gorham Public Schools
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	12.9Lowest
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.